Wolf of Dixie
by Dark K. Sly
Summary: Truth is the Sheriff wasn't very keen on the idea of Stiles dating an older man, but he could have handled it. A werewolf, though? That was crossing a line. Or the one where the Sheriff shipped Stiles off to his mother's brother's house, and the Hale pack takes over Bluebell. STEREK
1. Stiles&Bluebell

**Don't even ask, I have no idea what I'm doing.**

**Just… I really like Lemon, ok? And I totally think Stiles and Lemon being cousins should be a thing. That's it.**

**Plus, I really want to write Wade being jealous because Derek's hotter than him.**

**Wolf of Dixie**

**Stiles & Bluebell**

"You can't just do this to me!" the boy shouts, anger and betrayal bleeding through his voice, "You can't just ship me off to the middle of nowhere, to the other _side of the country_, and expect me to be okay with this! I'm not a damsel in distress; you're not an 18th century father concerned about his daughter's misbehavings! You can't do this to me!"

"Stiles, lower your voice. We're guests here" the man's voice is tired, as if this request has been done before – and it has, about fifteen times.

"I'm not a guest, I'm a prisoner. I'm not staying, you can't make me!"

"Yes, I can, and yes, you will. You're staying here, at your uncle's house, and you will follow his rules, and do as you're told, or so help me god!"

"What are you going to do? Ship me off to some place I hate and take me away from everyone I love? Oh, wait, you HAVE DONE THAT already!"

Father and son stare each other as if they're mortal enemies, and finally the older man has had enough.

"You are going to stay here because I have a restraining order against that man, and if you come near him again, I'm going to have him arrested."

He sounds like he means it, and the boy stares at his father, open mouthed and eyes wide.

"You know I…"

"I know you're seventeen. I know that man has been hanging around you and Scott for almost _two years_. I know that you once accused him of murder, and I know that, with what you told me about him and his… _condition_, I'm not letting him near you for as long as I can help it."

Stiles truly howls with frustration, grabbing at his hair.

"And the second I turn eighteen I'll be back in Beacon Hills so _fast_ you'll get whiplash!"

"Well, let's see if Derek Hale's attention will still be on you after a whole year of waiting" the man says, almost cruelly, but Stiles doesn't back down, looking at his father from across the frilly room.

"He'll wait for me. The only thing you're doing by dragging me away is making me resent you. I'm his, and he's mine, and you can't do a thing about it."

With that the boy leaves the room to go downstairs, shutting the door with a bang behind him.

John Stilinski, the Sherriff of Beacon Hills, sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose.

He wishes it hadn't come to this. He may even be able to deal with the fact that his son was seeing an older man, but a _werewolf_?

Not a chance in hell he'd let Stiles get more caught up with that crap than he already was.

Not a chance in hell.

The thing is that his whole plan to send Stiles away isn't exactly as successful as he had been hoping. He wasn't blind, he knew Derek Hale cared about his son, and he had been betting on _that_ to keep Stiles safe. He had thought that, when he appealed to Hale to help him get Stiles to stay in Bluebell, the man would back him up, arguing that there he'd be safe.

Only Hale had actually _growled_ at him, and told him that Stiles would only be safe _by his side_. That he could protect Stiles, had been doing so for years, and he would keep his son safe and happy in Beacon Hills. John had been expecting support, guilt, a break up between the two of them, but that hadn't come true – just as Stiles had said, Hale promised to wait for him, and try to find ways to bring him back, to their _pack_, as if that was normal behavior.

And now his son hated him, and he had to appeal to Sarah's brother, someone they had never had been in much contact with – maybe a call on Christmas and Thanksgiving, a small trip to spend Easter together when Stiles had been a baby, and nothing more.

Brick's wife had left him when his youngest was just a year old, and when Stiles was six Sarah had passed away – things had fallen apart in both families, and that had made them grow apart. But now that Stiles's safety was on the line, John didn't mind asking for help, as long as Stiles was away from _werewolves_.

He sighs and goes downstairs. Brick's family would be having lunch with them, and then John would leave.

Leaving Stiles behind.

It would be the hardest thing he had ever done.

When he gets downstairs, everyone is already at the table – Brick is sitting at the head, with Lemon to his right, and Magnolia on his left. Both girls are pretty – bright blond hair, impeccable clothing and amazing manners. Stiles is sitting by Lemon's side, and his plaid shirt and flailing behavior stick out like a sore thumb among the other occupants of the table.

John sits down with a small smile, and they start eating.

"Thank you again, Brick, for helping us" John says in the middle of the meal, when the silence had stretched for far too long.

"He's not helping _us_, dad, he's helping _you_. I don't need any help" Stiles replies, putting food in his mouth and chewing while smiling fake at him.

"Stiles, please, we've been through this" he pleads, but Stiles doesn't answer – he glares and keeps eating.

"Don't worry, John. Stiles won't even notice he has left home he'll be so happy here. Just give it a few weeks" Brick answers with his strong accent and a smile.

"I hope so. As long as he doesn't get into trouble" John tries to joke and Brick laughs a little.

"Oh, I'm sure he can't get into too much trouble here" the other man says, and Stiles snorts.

"You mean I can't manage to find a hot guy who's six years older than me to date me, so that dad can issue a restraining order against him? I'm sure I can try."

"Stiles!" John says, scandalized, while Lemon stares at the kid with her eyes wide, and Magnolia looks like she's trying to contain her laughter.

"What? I'm just giving them the cold, hard facts. If they're taking me in, they should know what they're getting themselves into. I'm gay, also I have a thing for older guys, my boyfriend is twenty-three, and by the time I'm legal, he'll be twenty-four. I am trouble. Jailbait. I also have no sense of self-preservation whatsoever, and to make things even peachier my ADHD hasn't gotten any better. You don't want me here – I'm way too much trouble, uncle Brick" he says with a sweet smile, and John sighs, putting his fork and knife down. He is about to say something, when Brick beats him to it.

"Stiles, your dad had already told me all of that, in other terms, sure, but I knew it. Son, you are family, and so is your dad. You are my sister's kid, and I loved her with all my heart, and therefore, I love you too. And because of that, there's nothing you can say that will make me not take you in. You're family, son, and you're staying" Brick smiles, but it's firm and certain, just like his voice, "Get used to it" the doctor finishes.

John smiles at the man gratefully. Stiles takes a deep breath, and continues eating, not looking at anyone.

John hopes things will be fine.

They finish eating with the girls doing most of the talking, and way too soon John is going into his car. He hugs Stiles, but the boy is tense in his arms.

"I'm doing this because I love you" he whispers as they pull apart, and Stiles shakes his head.

"I know that, dad, but you're wrong this time" the boy answers. He gives John a small wave and gets into the house without looking back.

Brick gives him a pat on the shoulder, and says reassuring things. John smiles in response and drives away.

Now all he has to do is hope that Derek Hale actually forgets his son in the year Stiles has before becoming a legal adult.

That small hope is all he has left.

**X**

Stiles sits in his room – it's frilly and girly, but so is all of the house.

Damn, so is the rest of the _town_, as far as he can gather. This place is so weird.

He's on the floor, knees raised and his head on his hands. He's not going to _cry_, but it's a close thing. He misses Derek. He misses Scott. He even misses Jackson, for Christ sake, and that's just not done, no one misses Jackson, not even Lydia misses Jackson and she loves him enough to cure him from his skin condition a whole year ago. His phone starts buzzing and he picks it up – _Scott_ is flashing on his screen and he sighs a little, a small smile on his face.

"Hey, dude!"

"Your dad's gone yet?"

That's not Scott's voice, that's so _not_ Scott's voice.

"Derek?"

"Yeah. Your dad gone yet?"

"Yeah, he just left. Why are you calling me from Scott's phone?"

"Because then if people check your phone they won't see my number on it, calling you, seeing as your dad can actually arrest me for harassment of a minor" is the gruffy response, and Stiles laughs quietly.

"Good thinking" he says softly, and then there's silence.

"The pack left a few minutes ago. They miss you" Derek finally says, a few minutes later.

Stiles breath catches in his throat and he sniffs a little before speaking.

"I miss them too. I…" he starts, but he can't go on, because damn the tears and his soft side and damn everything, "I mi…" he can't finish because the tears start to fall, and he has to take a deep breath, "I…" but he doesn't say anything else, and he can hear Derek's distress over the line, a growl, almost a whine, as if he's half shifted.

"I know. We all miss you. But it's… It's just one year, okay? Just… take care. I'll talk to you every day" he promises, and that startles a laugh out of Stiles.

"You'll _talk_? Don't you mean you'll growl while I babble? That's how I remember things. Or was it just one day enough for things to change?" he tries to joke, but his fear is clear in his voice.

He's afraid things _will_ change during this year. He's afraid Derek will realize what a mess Stiles is and try to find someone better as his second, as his right arm. That the pack will see they don't really need any other humans apart from Allison and Lydia.

He's afraid he'll lose the place he's fought so hard to have, because there, with the pack, he feels safe, and wanted, and needed, and necessary. He's theirs, and they're his, and they have each other's back, always. They're _family_ in a way his dad and him haven't been ever since his mother died. His dad is great and all, but working all day – sometimes all night – drinking himself into oblivion a few nights a week until Stiles got old enough to hide the bottle from him, which didn't really work out as planned, but it did show his dad he _knew_ that wasn't right, and that's why he stopped, never talking about things: that wasn't healthy, wasn't really _family_.

His dad tried to keep them together, but really, what he had done was pushing him away more and more. And this was… he got it that his dad was afraid of him getting hurt, of losing him, but nothing had happened in the two years he had been kept in the dark – and it wasn't like John hadn't caught wind of things being wrong with Stiles. He just chose to ignore it for as long as he could, hoping it'd go away on its own.

Yeah, Stiles hadn't invented that technique. He'd just perfected it.

And now he is here, alone in the middle of nowhere.

"Nothing's going to change. Nobody _wants_ anything to change. We just have to… wait. Ok? We'll wait" Derek's voice is firm and growly again, as if he can order things not to change and they'll obey him – maybe they will.

This is Derek Hale's pack, they can do anything.

"Ok, I believe you" he is silent for a moment, and then he sighs softly, "Derek?" he calls.

"Yeah?"

"I… I love you, ok?"

His heart skips a bit while he waits for Derek's response – it's not like they haven't said it before, but it's one thing to say it when you think your human boyfriend is going to die, when you think your werewolf boyfriend is going to fall to pieces again, and another thing entirely to say it on the phone.

"I love you too" it's almost a whisper, but it does make him smile even if Derek hangs up on him after that. He laughs lowly, and then there's a knock on his door. When he calls out that whoever it is can come in, he's a bit surprised it's Lemon.

"Can we talk?" she asks sweetly, but under that sugar there's something of steel.

Oh, boy, this is where they tell him they're secretly a coven of witches, isn't it?

**X**

Lemon knows she shouldn't do it, but it's almost like the boy is asking for it. She had watched as he had gone into his room after his dad left, and she could see he was distressed. Magnolia wanted to go and talk to him, but that could only go wrong, because as far as Lemon could see it, Magnolia only thought Stiles was entertaining – a gay cousin she could show off to her friends as a trophy. That's not what that boy needed.

Her dad wasn't a good choice either, because he was just as upset as the boy, even if he didn't show it. He didn't like the way her uncle had handled things, but then again, Brick was a great father, if a bit too permissive. The sheriff, as far as she could see it, wasn't.

She said she'd go talk to him, and then… well, and then he was talking when she got there, and she was, yes, listening through the door. Maybe she could gather some information with which she could work to make their lives easier. They didn't need a moody teenager in the house on top of her dad's girlfriend living ten hours away, and her wedding – and her _life_ – going to hell because of Zoe Hart.

But what she heard, the soft whispered words, the small laugh at the end – that was… heartbreaking.

If her intuition was right, and it was rarely wrong, they weren't talking about something that would go away on its own, a little crush on an older guy who was looking to take advantage of her cousin.

This wasn't as simple as John had made it out to be.

"Can we talk?" she asks, smiling, and she sees the boy go a little pale, "Don't worry, it's nothing bad, Stiles" she continues, smiling again, and sitting gracefully on the edge of the bed, leaving the door open.

"Sure" the boy says, shrugging, and she eyes his clothes a bit disgusted.

One mystery she'd like to solve is _how_ the boy got an older boyfriend wearing those clothes, but that could wait.

She tilts her head to the side to start speaking, but the kid beats her to it.

"Only, first, I… I want to apologize. I'll apologize to your dad too, and your sister. About before, during lunch. I was… I was just trying to get dad not to leave me here, I have nothing against any of you, and you all seem pretty awesome. I'm sure I'd have loved coming here when I was younger, or even now, but he's taking everything away from me, not just Derek, you know? So, I'm really sorry, and I promise not to be that obnoxious again. Unless it's to someone who deserves it, and you guys sure don't."

Lemon laughs a little, and inclines her head.

"Thank you, Stiles. We appreciate it. You don't really have to apologize, though; we can see this is hard for you. That's what I was trying to say when I came here to talk to you – I want the truth, Stiles. Your dad told us his side, but I'd like to hear yours, too. You are, of course, staying, but maybe things won't be so bad, if we can make sure this boyfriend of yours isn't… dangerous to be around."

"Derek's not a pedophile!" he exclaims vehemently, and Lemon raises an eyebrow at his exuberance, "I mean, he's dating me God knows why, I think I may have inflicted some sort of Stockholm Syndrome on him by being so annoying he couldn't let me go anymore, but he'd never look at a kid or anything. Plus, well, he's got PTSD, and I frankly believe his emotional development is stunted, and that if we could measure that, I'd be older than him by now, because I deal with things, even if badly, but he doesn't. Didn't. He's dealing with things now, because I… he says I help him do it" the boy suddenly looks close to tears, and looks down, "He _needs_ me, Lemon."

He sounds so broken Lemon wants nothing more than to hold him, but she's not sure they can do that yet, so she focuses on the one thing that stands out in the whole babbling thing her cousin seems prone to do.

"PTSD?" she says, and Stiles sighs deeply.

"Yeah. A really crappy, bad case of it, because he's so quiet and introvert naturally it's hard to tell. Also, he's kind of… strong. For everyone else. He doesn't accept he needs help sometimes. I'm… I'm the one who gets it through with him. He lets me in."

"What happened?" she asks again, because this… this is _so not_ what her uncle made it out to be.

"His whole family died in a fire on his house eight years ago. He, his sister and their uncle were the only survivors, but his uncle got stuck in a vegetative state until he recovered, two years ago. He and his sister went away, but then she came back to our town, and she was murdered. He's got no one but us, you know, me and my friends. We're his family."

Lemon stares at the boy sitting on the floor, and she can't quite match the obnoxious teenager from this morning to this mature young adult talking about his boyfriend's past – it sounds way too much for a kid to handle.

Suddenly he looks at her with a small smirk.

"You can check all of that on the internet, you know. It's all true, I'm not making this up so you'll pity me and help me or anything" he says, and Lemon decides that, yes, she _likes_ her cousin.

Sharp as knife and fast as a whip.

She likes him.

"Well, Stiles, I'm sure we'll get along well" she says at him with a small smirk of her own, "We can't send you back, and I honestly think that if we did, your dad would find an even worse solution for this situation, but maybe we can work something out. Plus, a year goes by so fast you won't even feel it" she finishes, getting up and leaving.

She feels Stiles admiring look all the way out of his room.

Well, that's one way of making a good impression on the kid.

She, however, is on a warpath.

"Daddy!" she says, getting into her father's office and closing the door behind her, her voice set at the precise tone that _meant business_ and she has her father's attention at once, "We need to help Stiles."

Brick looks confused for a second.

"We _are_, Lemon. I told John we'd take him in and…"

"Well, did uncle John tell you that Stiles's older boyfriend suffers from severe lack of emotional development because of PTSD? Or that Stiles is the only one helping him? Or that his whole family died in a fire, and he has _no one_? He didn't, did he?"

Her father is clearly stumped by this revelation, but he looks at her for a bit, considering things.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, daddy, I am. I wouldn't be here talking to you if I wasn't. I heard him talking to this boyfriend of his on the phone – they sound… serious, daddy. Really serious. I don't think uncle John really understands what he's putting Stiles through."

"But it's not our decision to make" Brick ends up telling her, his voice soft, "We send Stiles back, John will find someplace else for him, and maybe they won't be as accepting as we are. Very few families would agree to take in a boy with the story John is telling" he points out, and Lemon sighs, annoyed.

"What can we do, then?"

"We help him get through this year. And then we help him get back to his boyfriend" he says shrugging.

Lemon sighs, but leaves her dad's office, unsatisfied.

Maybe that's all her dad can do, but she can do more.

Maybe she will.

* * *

**Let me know what you think!**

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	2. Wade & Zoe

**Wolf of Dixie**

**Wade & Zoe**

"Do you wanna go to the Rammer Jammer with me?"

Stiles looks up from the pile of clothes he's putting away in his closet, and stares at his cousin. She's a year younger than him, just as pretty as Lemon, even if she lacks her sister's steelier disposition – while Lemon is determined and fierce and comes across as spoiled, Magnolia _is_ spoiled, and comes across exactly that way.

"Rammer Jammer?" he repeats, not quite believing his ears.

"It's the only place in town to go – I mean, there's the bakery, but it's full of children on weekends, and the Rammer Jammer has the best milkshakes. It's a diner, with a restaurant, and also a bar at night" she explains, sitting on his bed and eyeing his shirts distrustfully, as if they'll jump up and strangle her summer dress.

"So it's everything?"

She shrugs a bit.

"It's the only nice place in town, I just figured you'd like to know more people around here before school starts on Monday."

It's Saturday afternoon. He's quite sure he can meet the _whole town_ by Monday morning.

But it's either that, or staying in his flowery room, so he shrugs.

"Sure, let's go."

Magnolia smiles prettily at him and leads the way, shouting that they are going out on her way to the door. He hears his uncle yelling a curfew, eight o'clock, his cousin rolls her eyes and they leave.

Eight o'clock. At eight o'clock he'd be just about ready to _start_ his day. Waiting for his dad to leave, slipping through his window when he didn't, going over to Derek's, picking up Scott and Allison – pretending they didn't see Chris Argent lurking behind the curtains, spending half the night at the Hale Place.

He sighs when they reach the outside, looking around the square and the few people walking by.

He misses his friends, damn it!

"So… I think you're the only gay in town" Magnolia begins, and Stiles startles so badly he almost falls off the sidewalk. The girl laughs at him and pulls him by his arm, and Stiles shakes his head.

"Well, I don't plan on looking for anyone. I _do_ have a boyfriend" he answers awkwardly, "Plus, I'm not gay, I'm bi. My dad doesn't really get this part, it confuses the hell out of him, actually, so as Derek is very much a _he_, he just ignores it."

"Oh… that's actually nice. So many options" Magnolia comments, looking thoughtful for a moment, "Doesn't it get confusing?"

"At first, a little, maybe. I don't know, it wasn't for me, but I was never very set on being straight" he shrugs and they cross a street, some old ladies smiling and waving at Magnolia, who smiles broadly and waves back, "I used to have this _huge_ crush on this girl – she's a very good friend of mine now – but then things with Derek… _changed_. We were never really friends, but then all of a sudden we were _more_, and I didn't think of her that way anymore. I'm pretty sure Derek's the reason, though. Maybe I'm not even gay, I'm Derek-sexual" he finishes, making Magnolia laugh again.

"Well, that's nice of you. I didn't really think you… _fit_ into the whole gay thing, anyway. No offense, but your clothes are _awful_."

"Not every gay boy is Kurt from Glee, Magnolia" he explains, sounding exasperated, remembering his dad telling him he wasn't gay because of his clothes.

Stereotypes, man.

"I know" she answers, smiling a little bit, "You could get a great boyfriend, though, if you dressed better" she points out casually, and Stiles laughs.

"Dear cousin, just you wait until you _see_ Derek."

They, apparently, have arrived on the Rammer Jammer – which looks like a house from the outside. There are little tables all over the place, and a _rustic_ air about it. They sit at a table, Magnolia waves at some people, and they wait for their waiter.

"Is he hot?" she asks excitedly, and Stiles smirks, taking out his phone.

Sure, he can't take pictures of Derek when his eyes are open, but he'll be damned if he didn't have image proof of his boyfriend _existing_ when they are separated by a _country_.

He finds the picture he's looking for – Derek is shirtless, standing in front of the recently renovated Hale House. He's staring to the side, his profile showing, but not his eyes. He is, of course, scowling, because Jackson and Scott had just dropped the couch he had just bought on the dirt; dark blue jeans clinging to his hips, his tattoo showing a bit in the morning sun.

"Oh my GOD, Stiles! He's so hot!" His cousin exclaims loudly, and Stiles smirks.

"I know. He's totally hot" he says, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Hey, thanks, but aren't you two a little young for this?" says a third voice, and Stiles turns to look at their waiter – he must be in his mid-twenties, early thirties by the looks of it, older than Derek, but not by much. He's blond and has a cute smirky-smile, but he's no Derek.

"We're just here for the milkshakes, Wade. Two, please, chocolate. And we weren't talking about you" Magnolia says dismissively, while Stiles laughs a bit.

"But you can't deny I'm hot" the blond man answers, smirking still, and Magnolia stares at him, unimpressed.

"His boyfriend is hotter" she replies pointing at her cousin, and Stiles lets out a laugh.

"It doesn't get much hotter than this" Wade says gesturing to his body, and Stiles looks at him with an eyebrow raised – he totally picked that up from Derek.

"_Are_ you trying to get us to hit you? Because we won't. I have a hotter boyfriend and she's a minor" he says and the waiter looks confused for a moment, before scowling and saying he'll get them their milkshakes moodily.

At the counter there's a cute petit woman who's laughing her ass off at Wade.

Stiles smiles at her when she looks at them and she waves. Before he can wave back, Magnolia holds his arm and glares fiercely at the woman. She looks away and greets another teen, a girl their age, wearing glasses, with long, light brown hair.

"Those" Magnolia starts, her voice cold and hard, and _whoa_ there's lemon potential in her, maybe she can be saved, "are the enemies" she finishes, still glaring.

Now, in _his_ world, the enemy wants to kill you. They want you hunt you down and disembowel you while you're still alive. They threaten your family, everyone you love, and they attack your weakness, your sore points. They want to make you suffer and then die. Stiles immediately stares at the two women, who are talking animatedly while Wade shakes his head at the pair, preparing Stiles's and Magnolia's milkshakes. They don't seem to be listening to them, so, not werewolves. They don't _look_ dangerous, but Stiles has crossed paths with more than one enemy who didn't look threatening and he had been wrong before.

"Okay… what did they do?" he asks quietly, looking at the two sitting by the counter carefully, watching their moves the whole time.

If it's serious, he can get Derek here overnight. He can run that fast.

"That's Zoe Hart. You know how Lemon's wedding was cancelled?" she asks, and Stiles gets confused.

"Yeah? We couldn't come, but we did get the invitation" he says, and Magnolia nods at the woman again.

"She's the one who ruined everything. Came to town a year ago, with her New York ways, and turned George Tucker's head around. He got so crazy about her, he left Lemon practically at the altar. Lemon wants to go and _live in a boat_ because of her" there's so much hatred in her voice, Stiles is a bit scared, but, hey, at least they aren't dangerous.

Much. Not _is_ type of dangerous, anyway.

"She even waitressed here for a while, but then, thank God, she quit" Stiles smiles at the idea of Lemon _waitressing_, "And the one by her? That's Rose, and she's her accomplice. She's my enemy. I hate her. You can't be her friend at school because you're a Breeland. I mean, technically not, but you're family, and we, Stiles, are like royalty. You'll be a king at that school, and I'm a queen, and Rose is the _enemy_" she finishes, and Stiles doesn't quite know if he wants to laugh or cry or maybe both.

This is _crazy_.

But then again, he doesn't really _know_ Lemon, but she looks sad all the time when he's been around her. She's mourning, probably for the life she's never going to get now, and that's just… awful. His cousin doesn't deserve that.

Truth be told, when he looks back at Zoe and Rose he feels a little bit of dislike too.

"I'm sure I' won't be her friend" Stiles says just as Wade is bringing them their drinks, "I mean we're not even in the same class, and most of mine are AP classes."

"Good" Magnolia says decisively, nodding her head once, and Stiles smiles broadly at her.

She's so cute. Like an angry kitten.

The whole town feels like a soft version of the real world, where enemies are people who take away boyfriends and not whole families through fire and people lose their lives in battle, and then come back from the dead.

Or maybe… just maybe… _this_ is real life, and Beacon Hills is more of a nightmare.

That thought isn't a comforting one.

**X**

School isn't exactly all that different from Beacon Hills. There are popular people, and there are the weird people, and then there's Stiles who's stuck in the middle, mainly because he's Magnolia's cousin and she's popular enough that it rubs off on him even if he's not quite fond of the idea.

It's not _bad_, but it's not home.

Lemon has moved out from home, and then moved out from her boat and is now settled in George's old apartment, a setback Stiles hadn't seen coming. He kind of misses her a lot – but not _nearly_ as much as Magnolia and his uncle seem to. They are _lost_ without Lemon.

Stiles kind of takes over the house care – he's good at that, even if he's got a bit of trouble with Magnolia's stuff, as he has never lived with a girl before, but, hey, he can adapt. It makes him think about his dad, all alone in that crappy town, with no one to take care of him. They talk everyday on the phone, and John reassures him he's eating healthy, but Stiles misses him.

He misses everything.

Derek calls him twice, sometimes three times a day. Scott texts him all the time; and he and Lydia Skype every night. He talks to Erica and e-mails Boyd, and talks to Isaac, and Jackson texts him way more than he expects, and even Peter sends him the occasional e-mail, but it's not enough.

Not being _with his pack_ will never be enough, but he's glad they are keeping in touch, and he's kind of guiltily glad that they miss him so much. He misses them too.

And not only _them_, but… by the time his third week in Bluebell rolls around he's kind of in a Weirdness Abstinence Crisis. He hasn't seen or heard or been present to a single weird thing in _weeks_ – Bluebell's residents notwithstanding, because those people are _crazy_, but they aren't… well, supernatural.

The elections are just around the corner, and if he's not wrong, that Mayor and that other candidate are in some serious need of a room. Lemon has taken over the guy's campaign, though, so Stiles is pretty sure he'll win.

When he does, though, she doesn't look too thrilled, and Stiles has the feeling it has something to do with him and his ex-enemy getting together.

He doesn't want to be nosey, though, so he doesn't ask.

He and Lemon talk a lot – more than he talks to anyone else in this town, anyway, and he and his uncle bond a bit over Lacrosse, even if the sport is not appreciated here. Things are just too… calm. Everything is just too… easy.

It makes him feel all wrong.

So he takes care of uncle Brick and Magnolia, and tries to keep Lemon calm enough that she'll believe they won't starve to death just because she isn't there. Maybe that's where his easy kinship with Lemon comes from, this weird need they have to make sure their parents are safe and sound, this weird responsibility they feel towards other people they consider family.

As per Magnolia's request, he doesn't make friends with Rose at school – the girl annoys him a bit, to be truthful, with her desire to be oh so popular, when she clearly hasn't even found herself yet. She changes every week in the hopes she'll fit in without realizing she just has to settle a bit so that people will like her for _her_.

It took him a long time to get that, though, so he shouldn't be pointing any fingers.

His uncle was extra happy the week before, because his girlfriend was coming to town. On Saturday night he and Magnolia stayed clear off the house to give them some time alone, and everything seemed to be going well, until the woman went and broke his uncle's heart.

After that, things get a bit weird, because his uncle is brooding, and brokenhearted, and Lemon is kind of sad too, and Magnolia is even more annoying than normal, so when on Saturday they go to the town's square and Magnolia finds some of her friends and that jerk she's into, who Stiles just _can't stand_, he makes small talk for a bit, and then takes the opportunity to go off on his own, walking around town.

If he makes his way into the woods, he's not to blame – old habits are hard to kill.

The thing is that there's _nothing weird_ in Bluebell's woods. There's nothing there that Stiles hasn't seen a thousand times worse. He finds the lake in the Mayor's property, and thinks that maybe he shouldn't be here, but then again there's nothing making it closed off from the woods, so he thinks he's okay. He sits by it, and sighs, just… missing things.

There's a bit of noise coming from near him, and he looks around, suspicious. Maybe it's someone trying to scare him? He didn't see anyone when he was coming, but maybe he missed it. Derek's always saying he's way too unobservant.

He gets up and looks around again – there's a rustle of leaves in one of the bushes nearby, and out of it comes a damn _alligator_.

His eyes are wide as they can be and he just… stares.

What the hell is one of Jackson's cousins _doing_ here?!

The thing eyes him for a bit, and then takes a few wobbling… steps? Is what alligators do called steps? Anyway, the thing wobbles its way towards the water, and he takes out his phone, snapping a picture quickly, and smiling to himself, sending off a text to the pack, sating he's found the rest of Jackson's family in Bluebell. The thing goes into the lake, and stays there.

"You know, last out of towner who saw that thing screamed for help and was trying to run away as soon as they saw Burt Reynolds."

Stiles turns to see Wade coming his way, a smirk on his face. He shrugs and turns to the alligator again, watching it rest in the water for a bit.

"There are scarier things in the woods in Beacon Hills. Plus, it didn't look as if it'd attack me, it didn't have the right vibe" he says, and sits back down.

Wade stares at him for a moment, and then sits by his side, a few steps away.

"You're weird" the man says, and Stiles laughs out loud.

"Thanks. I appreciate that" he replies, and they stay in silence for a bit.

Wade is staring at the other house the Mayor has in his land – where Stiles knows Zoe Hart lives.

"You're into her, aren't you? Really into her" he ends up asking, because he'd have to be blind, deaf and stupid not to know about the rumor that they were together, and Wade turns to look at him, frowning.

"Who told you that? I'm not into Zoe Hart, I could have her if I wanted to" he replies, and Stiles raises an eyebrow.

"Sure, that's why you're looking at her house as if it killed your puppy."

Wade doesn't answer for a minute, and then he shrugs.

"I think I kind of made a really bad choice. I'm full of bad choices, but this one takes the cake."

Stiles eyes him carefully – in a way, he's a bit like Derek was at first. He looks as if he's afraid to let you too close and have it taken away afterwards. As if he's setting himself up for disappointment.

"What did you do? Ask her to marry you?"

"I said bad choice, not suicidal" Wade replies, staring at Stiles as if he's crazy, "Nah, I told her to… well, to bid on my basket if she wanted to go on a date with me."

Stiles keeps waiting, and when nothing else is forthcoming, he frowns.

"That's it? You asked her to bid on your basket?"

Wade shrugs, and Stiles can see there's way more into this than he knows, and he probably won't ever find out, anyway. It's not his business.

"It's going to turn out alright" he ends up saying, just to fill up the silence, "I mean, if you're into her, and she's into you, and anyone who has eyes can see she is, it's going to be okay."

"Yeah…" the man answers, and doesn't say anything else.

The silence stretches, and Stiles finally gets up to go home, looking at Wade again.

"Seriously, man, if she doesn't bid on your basket she doesn't deserve you" he says with a shrug, and doesn't wait for a reply.

_He_ isn't even putting a basket up for bidding, because that'd be just awkward.

Or maybe it would, if Lemon hadn't decided to make things more interesting for Stiles.

**X**

So Lemon is being sneaky, and going behind her cousin's back, but hey, one has to do what one can to make her loved ones happy.

Everyone in her family was miserable. Her dad because of Emily, and Magnolia because of some idiot at her school, and Stiles… well, she has a feeling Stiles hasn't actually _stopped_ hurting ever since he came here, and she can't take it anymore. This is it, this is the end, they are bidding on baskets, or putting baskets up, and they are getting good dates, and this is _it_.

She convinces her dad with some sweet talk, and sneaks into Stiles room while he's showering, just to pick up a phone number from his cellphone.

She finds what she's looking for, and leaves it where she found it.

When Lemon gets back to her apartment, she calls the number, and smiles triumphantly when someone answers.

"Derek Hale? This is Lemon Breeland, Stiles's cousin. I think we have to talk about Stiles's basket."

The conversation goes much better than she was hoping for.

* * *

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	3. Baskets & Heartbreak

**Hey there! Merry Christmas!**

**So, I thought I'd throw in a little explanation for those of you who don't watch HoD: the basket thing is that the men prepare a picnic basket, and then the women bid on it, winning a date with the owner of the basket. **

**I hope that clears it up for you, and I'll try to explain these plot mergings more clearly in the future!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Wolf of Dixie**

**Baskets & Heartbreak**

Stiles is a very _peculiar_ human, but Stiles's cousin kind of takes the cake in being the scary one in the family.

Derek barely manages to get a word in in the whole ten minutes they talk, but then again, that's fine by him, he's not much into talking, anyway. What he _does_ manage to say is that, yes, he can and will be in Bluebell the very next day, because he'll be damned if Stiles is going to go into a picnic with anyone else but _him_.

There are things that are myths when it comes to werewolves, like knotting and having an inner wolf separated from who they are as humans. Possessiveness about their mates isn't a myth: it's very much a real thing – and as far as he's concerned, Stiles is already his mate. Had his dad or even Laura been alive, he'd need their permission to mark him, and declare him an official part of the pack through him, but that boy has never obeyed a _single_ rule his whole life, and he was pack before Derek realized it, and now Derek's the Alpha, and he can declare Stiles King of the woods if he wants to.

He won't, sure, because that'd be just inflating the boy's ego, but he could.

So he packs light, and goes. The means he's using to get there in time aren't exactly normal or legal, but he doesn't care.

He's going to see Stiles for the first time in a _month_. Nothing would make him _not go_.

**X**

"Lemon," Stiles calls from the kitchen, where he has just come in, to get his uncle's basket, so they can leave for this stupid basket auction, "Why are there _two_ baskets on the counter?"

His cousin comes into the room smiling away as if it's Christmas, and Stiles has gotten to know her enough in this month they've been co-existing to know that _never_ bodes well.

"Well, you are a young man of seventeen, I talked to daddy, and he agreed that it'd be a good thing for you to have a basket put up for auction too."

"But I don't want a date. I have a boyfriend. I'm not going on a picnic date with anyone else" he tries to reason, already knowing it's going to be pointless, because the basket is _ready_, and if his uncle knows about it, then Lemon is going to do it.

Damn this girl!

"Well, it doesn't really have to be a date, Stiles. Maybe one of the girls you go to school with will bid on you, and then you can spend the day making friends" she says, with a sweet smile, "Now get your basket and let's go or we'll be late" she orders him, leaving the kitchen with her father's basket in her arms.

Stiles sighs and takes his basket too.

It better have some good food in it.

As it turns out, the men have to stay inside some sort of gated area – isn't that just _darling_? – and Stiles stares moodily at the crowd around the Rammer Jammer. There are some kids from his school, mostly girls with their parents, and Stiles is _sure_ not a single one of them is going to bid on his basket.

If the worst comes to the worst, Magnolia will do it. She won't leave him hanging.

Unless Wade's basket comes before his, then he's a goner, because Magnolia _really_ wants to piss Zoe Hart off.

His uncle gets auctioned off for the girl who, he knows, dated George Tucker. Lemon gets the wrong basket, and ends up in a date with the Mayor – and _that_ is going to be a problem later on, he just _knows _it. Magnolia, of course, bids on Wade's basket, and he has to turn around and see the look on Zoe's face – it's kind of priceless, he can almost forgive Magnolia for leaving him hanging.

Finally, in comes his basket, beautifully decorated and with a whole lot of food he recognizes: they are Derek's favorites.

All of it.

What the hell?

He looks at the crowd, trying to see Lemon, but she's stubbornly looking ahead of her, and so is his uncle.

A girl form his school bids on his basket for ten dollars, and he wants to roll his eyes – he bets it's one of the girls who want to be his friend _because_ they think he's the new Kurt from Bluebell, and they want to know what that's like.

"Fifteen!" says another girl, and Stiles raises his eyebrows.

What?!

"Twenty!" answers the first girl, and Stiles doesn't know if they are joking or if they are serious.

_Why_ are they bidding on a date with him?

"A hundred dollars" comes a voice form the door, and Stiles can feel his heart stop beating for a bit.

He turns very, very slowly, not quite believing his ears, and there, in all his leather jacket, scowling face glory is _Derek_.

Come from all the way to Beacon Hills to freaking _bid on his basket!_

He turns to look at Lemon, who is smirking at him, and then at his uncle, who's smiling at him, letting him know he was in on the secret.

Magnolia is staring open mouthed at Derek.

Yeah, that picture just didn't do him justice.

"And with that very _enthusiastic_ bid, sold! To the gentleman in the leather jacket" says the guy with the microphone, looking a bit weirded out.

Derek smiles then, his eyes meeting Stiles's, and for the first time in a month, things are right in the world. He totally doesn't pay attention to what's going on around him for the rest of the time. They have to wait until all the baskets are gone to leave the bar, and Stiles spends the whole time fidgeting in place, and staring at Derek, who's looking at him the whole time too.

Oh my GOD, how long does it take to sell a few baskets, anyway?

Finally, they are all sold, and the gates are opened, and Stiles jumps out and runs to Derek, who smiles at him again, opening his arms. Stiles throws himself at his boyfriend – they don't even kiss, they just hug. He can feel Derek burrowing his face into the crook of Stiles's neck and inhaling deeply, and chuckles a bit.

"Weirdo" he whispers, and Derek growls quietly.

"You're the weirdo" the man replies, but there's a smile on his voice, and Stiles finally lets go to stare at the man.

Before he can say anything, they hear a throat being cleared behind them, and they turn around – Derek, of course, is back at scowling.

"I'm Brick Breeland, Stiles's uncle. I'm assuming you're Derek Hale?" his uncle starts, offering his hand.

Derek, very politely, takes the offered hand and shakes it.

"Yes, sir. Nice to meet you. And thank you. For letting me see Stiles" he says quietly, his hand tightening its hold on Stiles's one.

"You should thank Lemon, but there'll be time for that later. I want you to understand I'm giving you permission to see Stiles behind his father's back. I wouldn't do that normally, but Lemon has me convinced that maybe John couldn't actually see the whole picture before he made his judgment, so this is your chance, son. Don't blow it" Brick says, and then he turns to Stiles, "The whole _town_ will be watching. I want the two of you in public the _whole time_, understood?" he's frowning a bit, and doing his best to look tough, but Stiles just can't take it.

He pulls his uncle into a hug, and the man pats him on the back awkwardly.

"Thank you, uncle Brick" he says quietly again, before letting go, and staring at Derek with the hugest grin on his face, "Let's go, Sourwolf, before all the good spots in the square are gone" he says, waving at his uncle, and pulling Derek by the hand, the older man carrying their picnic basket.

They walk in silence for a bit, but their hands never let go of the other. They are pretty much basking in the knowledge that they got to see the other a whole eleven _months_ earlier than expected, so none of them is complaining.

Stiles chooses a spot a bit away from the other people having a picnic on the square. The ones nearer them are Zoe and Wade, but he really doesn't think they'd pay attention to him and Derek, so it's okay. They sit on the floor, and Stiles stares at Derek with a small smirk on his lips.

"I bet Lemon called you and demanded you came" he says, teasingly, and Derek raises an eyebrow.

"That is actually what happened. She called, demanded to know what my favorite food was, and then told me I'd be here today" Derek says, serving Stiles a glass of soda.

A _real_ glass because Lemon Breeland does not do paper cups on dates.

"But… you're happy, right? To come and all? And see me?" Stiles asks nervously, and sees Derek rolling his eyes.

"Yes, you moron, I am. I get to see you. I have to be back by tomorrow, or your dad might just send out a search party, but we're covered for two days. I think it'll be fine."

They drink their soda and stare at the other and Stiles smiles at Derek.

"I missed you" he whispers, before pulling Derek to him and kissing him lightly. It's not fiery or hot in any account – they _are_ in the middle of the square, after all, but it's sweet and chaste, and it's exactly what Stiles needs at this moment.

They pull apart, and Stiles smirks some more.

"What?" Derek grunts, tearing into a sandwich, and that just makes Stiles smile even more.

"Just… You here. You won't _believe_ what this town is like."

"I knew you weren't telling me everything! Damn it, Stiles, if there's a threat you _tell me_. You don't go at it alone. What is it?" Derek asks, his eyebrows doing a whole dance over his eyes, and he looks all intense and angry, and Stiles laughs, because, oh God, "It isn't funny!" Derek barks, and Stiles chuckles a bit.

"It is a bit, you going all Alpha male on me" he says with a cheeky smile, "Well, technically, that's who you _are_, but anyway. Thing is, Derek, there's _nothing_ here. The most threatening thing in here is a tamed alligator, called Burt Reynolds. My first day here, Magnolia, my cousin, told me some people were the enemy, and I was worried for about ten seconds, until she told me the girls steal boyfriends. It's _crazy_. There's _nothing_ weird in this town" he looks around them, and then tilts his head to the side a bit, "Well, apart from _this_" he waves his arms, indicating the square, "kind of weird. It's really quiet. There's nothing here."

Derek is quiet, and he looks suspicious for a bit.

"You're not just hiding things from me so I won't worry?" he asks, and Stiles smiles at him.

"I swear I'm not. There's nothing here, I checked. I think I'm going into weird withdrawal."

"You would" Derek comments drily, and gets a piece of apple thrown at him for his troubles.

"How's everyone?" he asks after a few quiet moments, and Derek shrugs.

"Missing you. Scott is lost without you, Lydia is trying to help him study, but it's not going very well. Lydia, by the way, is going crazy without you there in the meetings, because she says she can't take all the growling without you. Peter misses you a lot too. Says it's no fun having a pack without someone who'll get his dry humor."

"_Dark_ humor, the _darkest_ humor, he means. And I don't get most of it, anyway" he comments, and Derek shrugs again.

"He misses you. We all do."

Stiles gets his hand again, and entwines their fingers, looking at their joined hands for a bit.

"Have you seen my dad around?" he asks in a quiet voice, and Derek shakes his head.

"No. Melissa visits him as much as she can, she makes sure he's eating properly and everything, but we haven't seen him much. I think he's avoiding us" he says the last part very quietly, and Stiles raises an eyebrow.

"Why would he avoid all of you?" he questions, and Derek shrugs.

"Isaac _might_ have told him he was being selfish and foolish for taking you away from the pack. Erica might have agreed. Lydia might have been with them, and she _might_ have cried a bit in front of him? I think he's emotionally scarred."

Stiles stares at him, before shaking his head.

"They're crazy."

"They miss you" Derek replies, and Stiles sighs.

"I miss you all too. I mean, this town is crazy, even if it _is_ pretty great, but… I miss you guys. It's like a piece of me is missing the whole time I'm here" he concludes, and Derek sighs, and pulls him in a hug.

He's never been one for great displays of affection, so Stiles is a bit surprised when the man rearranges them so they can sit side by side, their arms and sides touching.

They eat quietly after that, appreciating the view and the crazy couples around them.

At some point, Zoe and Wade break apart, and Stiles almost cringes at the sight of the man.

So the bitch _did_ break his heart.

"You sure there's nothing anywhere?" Derek questions after a few more minutes, and Stiles nods, "I'll check the woods before I leave, just to make sure" Derek says, and then he looks down, as if he's thinking.

Stiles is curious, but he doesn't ask – that's Derek's planning face, and he never shares the plans before he's thought them through.

They never really work until Stiles has the time to go over them and fix all the holes, but hey, at least he's trying, and Stiles is all for rewarding this behavior, he can keep quiet for a few more moments if he has to.

Derek is by his side, he can do anything.

**X**

They head to Stiles's uncle's house when the people of the town start heading back home from the Rammer Jammer. They spent the whole afternoon in the square, and at some point Stiles made Derek walk with him around town – which took all of twenty minutes, give or take a few – and then they sat and talked about things.

Things were quiet in Beacon Hills for the most part. No big threats lately, but the chance was always there, so it was one more reason for Derek to rush back home as soon as possible. Leaving their territory without an Alpha was never a good idea.

"I can't believe you left _Scott_ in charge of everything. The guy can't find his way out of a paper bag, Derek!"

Derek huffs a small laugh, and shrugs, leaning more comfortably against the back of the couch.

"It's actually a pretty good strategy. Boyd has a little bit too much faith in himself, if things do get complicated he'd try to _actually_ lead, and the others would revolt. If I left Peter I run the risk of going back to a mutiny, and I'm not even going to joke about leaving Jackson in charge of _anything_, let alone the whole pack. Scott will listen to the others, and call me as soon as something happens. He's good at taking care of the others too. It was the best option" he finishes, and Stiles shakes his head.

Whatever. Scott in charge still sounds really weird for him.

His uncle gets home with a small smile a few minutes after that, Lemon coming with him, and she's happy too. The only one who looks like she actually _swallowed_ a lemon is Magnolia, but that's only because everyone was having fun, and she was pining after that idiot who doesn't care about her at all.

"Boys" his uncle greets, "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, lots! Thanks for letting him come, uncle Brick. I know dad…" Stiles doesn't finish, and he can sense Derek getting nervous by his side.

"Your dad is doing what he thinks it's best for you. I shouldn't be going behind his back like this, but…" he doesn't say anything else, and just stares at the man beside his nephew on the couch, a calculating look on his face, "Now, Stiles, I think you and Magnolia should go upstairs and fix up the guest room, because I, Lemon and Derek here are going to have a talk in my office."

He's smiling, and so is Lemon.

That's probably why Stiles is suddenly terrified.

* * *

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	4. Derek & The Breelands

**Wolf of Dixie**

**Derek & The Breelands**

So, the thing is that Derek is very, very nervous.

It had been one thing to face the Sheriff in the way _he_ had found out – Stiles had been hurt and Derek had refused to leave his side. That was when the Sheriff had found out they were together.

That same night, one of the witches they had been fighting thought it'd be a good idea to come into Stiles room to try and kill him – Derek, of course, had attacked (and killed) her without caring who was watching for once.

It so happened that the Sheriff had been watching.

Scott had been called, and Lydia, and the whole story had been told to him. The "Mysterious" Alpha (they hadn't mentioned that it had been Peter), the Kanima, the Alpha Pack, the Fae community in the woods, the Indigo, the rogue werewolves, the witches. The accident with Stiles in the middle of it.

And the thing is the Sheriff was already quite dubious about his only son – his seventeen years old son – being in a relationship with an older man who had been once accused of murder. But a _werewolf_? Well, that had been the end of his rope. He had allowed Stiles to see the pack for all of five days, as if nothing had happened, and then… well, and then he had packed up his stuff and taken him to Alabama.

So, to be completely truthful, there hadn't been a "meet the parent" occasion with Stiles and Derek yet. Peter had made it clear very early on that he liked Stiles better than Derek, and that was the only family he had. And the Sheriff had never given him a chance as to meet and greet him as his son's boyfriend – only as a threat and a monster.

Therefore, yes, he was quite concerned about making a good impression on Doctor Breeland and Lemon, because they were as close as he was going to get to having an accepting parent in this relationship. He had to make it right, make a good impression, get their permission – make them like him.

Only he was never very good at making people like him, even before his life was a complete mess: he was the quiet one, the one who didn't approach people, and never talked unless talked to first. It was very, very hard not to be nervous, and he _so_ was.

He wanted them to work properly. He wouldn't leave Stiles. He wouldn't let him go unless that's what _he_ wanted, and he knew Stiles didn't want that. He would take Stiles away as soon as he was eighteen if that's what it took, but truth is he doesn't want his mate to be cut off from family because of him. So if he can't work with the Sheriff, he'll have to make do with the Breelands.

Somehow, he's starting to think that the Sheriff would be easier.

Brick enters his office first, and sits behind his desk. Lemon perches daintily on a corner of the same desk, with a small smile, and Derek is left to sit on the chair in front of them, his palms sweating, and his face red.

He had killed an Alpha with his bare hands. He had helped change Jackson from the Kanima into a proper werewolf. He had negotiated pacts with the Fae Queen and not even bothered to try and be civil. He had eviscerated rogue wolves, and defended his pack and his territory fearlessly. And now he was worried about two humans, who, for all that he knew, only wanted to tell him he would never be good enough for Stiles.

"So, Hale, you are Stiles's boyfriend", Brick starts, and Derek inclines his head.

"Yes, sir."

"The one his father doesn't want near Stiles."

This is so not going to end well for Derek.

"Yes, sir."

"Can you tell me why that is, Hale?"

"What do you mean, sir?" Derek asks, because he's confused. Do they expect _him_ to say he's bad for Stiles or something? Play as his own Devil's Advocate?

"Why is John so against this relationship? I don't know my brother-in-law all that well, that's true, but he never struck me as an intolerant man. The fact that you are older doesn't really seem to be the problem, and I know for a fact that even if you were once accused of a very serious crime, you were cleared out. He wouldn't stop you from seeing Stiles – he wouldn't move Stiles _across the country_, against his will, risking losing his son – for something like age and a bad record. I do know that John believes in second chances. So I brought you here because Lemon has me convinced that Stiles is completely miserable for as long as he's been here, and I have to tell you, Hale, that I don't have any sons, but Stiles is slowly becoming one for me. He's family, and he's all I have left from my sister. I want him to be happy. So I want to know who we're losing our boy for, because as far as I can tell, all that John has managed to do by sending him here is to drive him more into you, and further away from us. So now would be the moment, Hale, for you to be honest and tell me exactly _why_ John doesn't want you near his son."

Derek could lie. He could say that John didn't like him because of his fame back in Beacon Hills, because there was history between them, because Stiles had been hurt while Derek was with him. He could make some story up, he could simply _lie._ It's not as if he hadn't done it before.

That's why he surprises even himself when what comes out of his mouth is…

"I'm a werewolf."

What has he done?

**X**

Magnolia and Stiles actually go upstairs as his uncle says, and then then look at each other, just waiting.

They know that, eventually, one of them will say it.

"You know," Magnolia starts, pulling some sheets from a closet and handing them over to Stiles, "we _could_ go and listen at the door."

"That would be childish and immature" Stiles replies, while dropping the sheets on the bed – Derek can make his own bed.

The stare at each other and then dart out of the room, trying to run quietly through the house, and putting their ears against the door of Brick's office.

They listen to Brick starting a conversation, and Stiles can hear how nervous Derek is – he only ever pulls out the "sir" when he's so nervous he can't think properly. It's like a defense mechanism or something. As Brick details all the reasons why John might not exactly be thrilled about Stiles and Derek being together, Magnolia turns to look at him with her mouth hanging open.

"Your boyfriend is _so awesome_" she mouths at him, and he rolls his eyes.

Trust Magnolia to find all kinds of transgression of the law attractive.

"_So now would be the moment, Hale, for you to be honest and tell me exactly why John doesn't want you near his son_", as his uncle finishes speaking, Stiles closes his eyes, waiting for the lies to come. It's not as if Derek can tell them the truth, is it?

To say Stiles is surprised when that's _exactly _what he does is the understatement of the century.

"_I'm a werewolf."_

Stiles doesn't really _think_ before jumping in the room, and flailing his arms about. He takes in Lemon's sour face – no pun intended – and his uncle's disbelief, as if he can't quite grasp why an adult would make up something as ridiculous as this. But it's as he's facing Derek that his heart starts trying to beat its way out of his chest.

"What the hell, Derek! What are you doing?!" he asks, and he can see his uncle nodding, as if he also would like to know that.

Except they are coming from opposite directions on that feeling: his uncle is trying to figure out why the man to whom he gave a chance is lying to him, and Stiles is trying to make sure Derek knows what he's getting himself into.

"I'm being honest. I have no hope whatsoever that your father will ever understand us, or accept me, but this is your family, and they seem like a good choice" Derek answers Stiles in his almost-Alpha voice, as if daring him to contradict him.

Stiles doesn't.

Because Derek has just _willingly_ come out to his family as a werewolf so that he can still have said family at some point in his life.

If they don't go away running and screaming, that is.

Or throw him out of the house.

"You're the Alpha" he answers, and stares as Derek turns back to Lemon and Brick, his features turning slowly into his Beta form, long ears, sideburns, the crazy hair, and, finally, his glowing red eyes.

Stiles turns to his family to see their reactions, and he can't quite see if they're good or bad. Lemon has a hand over her mouth, as if she's trying to contain a scream. His uncle has his eyebrows so high they're almost disappearing into his hair.

And it's Magnolia, whom they had forgotten about up till now, who actually says something.

"Oh-my-GOD, this is so _AWESOME!"_

Stiles suddenly decides that he is so screwed.

**X**

Eventually they manage to get to the living-room, because trying to confine that conversation to the office is, clearly, a lost cause. Magnolia is still staring alternately between Derek and Stiles, as if she can't quite decide which one of them is the most awesome – Derek for _being_ a werewolf, and Stiles for _dating_ him. Brick looks at them suspiciously, as if he's hoping to catch one of them lying, or maybe shouting that it's all a joke.

Lemon is quiet. And calculating. Her eyes keep going form Derek to Stiles, and she looks suspicious of something.

Eventually she'll talk, though, hopefully.

"So…" Brick starts, uncomfortably, "John doesn't want you near Stiles because you are a…" he doesn't seem capable of finishing the sentence.

"A werewolf. Yes" Derek answers firmly. Now he's behaving like an Alpha, Stiles thinks exasperatedly, because his boyfriend has the worst timing ever.

"And you are… dangerous" Brick continues, but Stiles doesn't allow him to go on.

"No, he's not" he protests, a bit louder than he intends to, but, well, it's _Derek_. He kind of loses his filters when Derek is involved.

"But I remember your father telling me you had been hurt a few days before he brought you here. You were in the hospital for three days. And he also mentioned that you had been hurt before."

Stiles and Derek trade a look, and Derek almost shrugs. It's Stiles's choice to reveal as much as he wants.

"It's true, yeah, but it's not like it sounds. I wasn't hurt _by_ Derek, or any of his pack. They are my friends, they protect me. But running with wolves has its consequences, and sometimes I don't make the best choices, or have the best judgment" he explains, and Derek snorts.

"What he actually means is that sometimes he forgets he's not a super hero and decides to make things all by himself, with no care about his own wellbeing."

"But I did that even before Derek even _liked_ me, or could even _stand_ me, so I don't really think it should count against Derek. It's not his fault I suffer from Harry Potter syndrome."

The other three in the room keep staring at him as Derek shakes his head.

"What syndrome?" Brick asks, and Stiles shrugs.

"Harry Potter syndrome. You know, with his saving people thing. I have to… help. They are all I have" he looks at his relatives and shrugs, "Had, at least. I don't…" he stops, and turns to Derek, and the man actually smiles briefly at him. They get each other, and Derek knows what he's about to say would probably hurt Stiles's dad a whole lot, but it's the truth.

And he needs his uncle and his cousins to understand that, before they decide to kick him out or call his dad.

"Look, I know dad loves me, okay? I know he wants what's best for me, and that he thinks Derek is to blame for all the bad choices I've made for the past two years of my life, and believe me, there were _a lot_ of those. I know he doesn't do any of this on purpose, but the thing is…" he stops for a moment, and takes a deep breath before continuing, "Did you know that the first time Derek and I kissed was at Christmas, last year? There had been a group of rogue werewolves around town, we had beaten them out of there just a few days before, and I was beat. I couldn't even believe Christmas break was beginning I was so tired, and I was quite sure my exams had all gone to hell, because I had no time to study _at all_. But on the good side, it was Christmas, and I would be able to spend it with my dad, and I missed him. Only I didn't spend it with him, because he wasn't _there_. He was out, covering for one of his deputies, so that _he_ could go home and spend it with _his_ family. He didn't think of the fact that I wanted to spend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with him. That _we_ were a family too. He did his best, but after mom died, things were never the same. I went to Derek's place on the night of the 24th and I came back home on the 26th, and dad didn't even realize I hadn't been home _at all_," he sighs, and runs his hands over his face a bit, trying very, very hard not to cry, "Our first kiss? Derek was in a rage because his uncle wasn't home for Christmas, and I was in a fit of bitterness because my dad wasn't home for Christmas, and the rest of our pack was with _their_ families, and we were the only ones left. So I kissed him. Because he was, _is_, always there. He's there when I'm hurt, and when my best friend won't answer the phone, and when the girl I loved didn't want me, and when everyone thinks I'm just the stupid spaz kid with no super powers. He's there when my dad isn't home, and when I'm way too tired to keep running. He's… _home_. _My _home. In a way that dad, or Beacon Hills, or Bluebell will never, ever be", he takes another deep breath, and avoids looking at Derek, because they aren't very good in the mushy feelings part of the relationship, and this was kind of _a lot_, and a lot of it he had never even told Derek before, but he _wanted_ his uncle and his cousins to understand that, no matter what they decide, he won't let Derek go. For anything.

Not even his family.

"I'm the Alpha of my Pack" Derek says suddenly, not looking at Stiles either, as if they can tell others about their feelings, but aren't very sure of what _they_ want to say to each other, "I became that after my sister was killed and I killed the Alpha who killed her. I was bitter, and broken, and full of anger, and I honestly thought I would screw everything up so, so badly, because I've never known how to lead. I wasn't born to it the way my sister was. I was never good with people, or with feelings, and my pack was made up of ansgty teenagers, who hadn't got a clue what they were doing. That's probably why I chose them, because as long as _they_ didn't know what _they_ were doing, then they wouldn't see that I didn't either. And the only one who actually _tried to help_ was Stiles. He's saved my life way more times than I've saved his, and I'm the werewolf, I've got the advantages, and yet he's the one who always knows what to do. If I was always there when he needed me, then he's always been there for me even before I knew I needed anyone. I… I've only got an uncle left. My whole family died in a fire eight years ago, and I'm… the woman who did it was a hunter, who wanted my whole family dead for something they had no control over – we were born like this. Stiles is my family more than anyone else. I _need_ him, and the only way I'm letting him go is when he tells me he doesn't want to be with me anymore. Until then, I'll tear the world apart for him."

And then, there's silence.

Magnolia keeps looking between her dad and her sister and then back to Stiles and Derek, and her eyes are actually full of tears. Lemon is looking down, and Stiles can't see her face. He hopes to God she's okay with them, because if she isn't, he's dead meat. His uncle looks… angry.

That's not good.

"So… uhm… should I… pack my bags and leave? I told you guys I was way more trouble than I'm worth it."

Derek growls when he says that, and his uncle gets up, pulling him up by an arm, and embracing him tightly.

"Don't you _ever_ say that. Never, Stiles. You are Sarah's boy, and if I had ever, even for a moment, thought that your father was handling things this badly, I would have come and got you here."

"It wasn't that bad, Uncle Brick, dad did what he thought was best" Stiles protests, because he _loves_ his dad to bits, he doesn't want to blame his bad life choices on the man.

His uncle doesn't answer, he only huffs a bit, and pulls away, keeping his hands on Stiles's shoulder.

"You're staying here. I don't know what to do about this situation with your boyfriend, and I can't tell you to get on with your life with him, because I'm not your father, and he's the one who can actually say these things, but I'm saying now that Derek is welcome here whenever he wants, and that I don't care whatever he is for as long as he loves you this much."

Stiles can't actually say anything, because he's afraid he'll start crying if he does, so he hugs his uncle again.

When they pull apart, Brick turns to Derek and stares at him, pointing a finger at him.

"If you hurt him, though, I didn't care what kind of thing you are, I will hunt you down, and make experiments on you until you can' take it anymore."

"If I ever hurt him, I'll offer myself up for it" Derek answers, which seems to be the right answer, because Brick smiles at him, and offers his hand to shake.

They shake on it, and Stiles smiles broadly, a bit calmer. Oh, well, it wasn't that bad.

"You are still older than him" Lemon says, sharply, "And you are a werewolf. And an Alpha, which sounds very important, whatever that means. Stiles is seventeen. Are you sure this is the best for him? Being by your side, at his age?" she questions, and Derek looks at her sharply.

Okay, so they shouldn't have worried about convincing his uncle, they should have worried about convincing _Lemon_.

"I'm the leader of my pack. Whatever I say is the rule. And Stiles is my mate. That's all there is to it" he answers, his voice angry for the first time, staring Lemon down.

Lemon doesn't back up, though, and they stare at each other for a few moments. Stiles looks at Brick, and then at Magnolia, and then the three of them go back to staring at Lemon and Derek.

Suddenly, Lemon smiles and offers her hand for Derek _to kiss_.

Not shake, kiss.

And, what's even more absurd, _Derek does it_.

"Welcome to the family" she offers, and that's it.

They have the Breelands on their side.

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	5. Peter & Pack Business

**I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday, but the day was CHAOS. I'm not even kidding. Also, I'm on the beach for New Year's Eve, and Internet access here is pretty shaky, so I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to post again.**

**However, the story is done, with a chapter more. I'll post this one now, and the next one tomorrow, and so on, if I get the connection work. If it doesn't, I'll post on the 2****nd****, which is when I get back home. **

* * *

**Wolf of Dixie**

**Peter & Pack Business**

"There _really_ isn't _anything_ in here" Derek observes, as he and Stiles are in the middle of the woods, the Alpha looking around himself in disbelief.

"I should be really offended you thought I was lying" Stiles replies, frowning a bit.

"I didn't think you lied, I actually thought you hadn't found anything yet, but… there's _nothing_." Derek's voice is filled with wonder, and that catches Stiles's attention.

"What do you mean?" he inquires, staring at his boyfriend, as the werewolf watches the woods.

"It means this is unclaimed territory" Derek replies.

Stiles doesn't really know what that's supposed to mean, but he hopes to everything that exists that it's a good thing.

**X**

Truth is that the problem is not _them_. The problem is Beacon Hills.

Jackson likes to tease Stiles sometimes that he's the Bella to Derek's Edward – they even have the Sheriff's kid thing going on – but the comparison should really stop there, because that girl from that book _attracted_ problems to her and everyone around her: Stiles doesn't _attract_ trouble, he's simply got a knack for _finding_ it – especially when the pack needs him to.

It's one of the things Peter actually likes about the boy: not the trouble finding part, but the part where he never runs away. He never gives up. He never leaves anyone behind, not even when he didn't like Derek, or back when the Alpha pack was in town, and none of the kids trusted him, and he himself needed rescue.

Stiles came back for him when his very own nephew wouldn't, and Peter would be grateful for that forever. Nothing would change that.

He's not kidding when he says Stiles is his favorite.

Yes, when he had first awakened from his coma he was in a rage, and blind with pain and madness, and after that, when he had killed Laura, crazy with Alpha power. He truly, _truly_, hadn't known what he had been doing. He would never, _ever_, have killed her if he had been thinking straight, but by the time he could actually _move_ after the fire, he was pure instinct, and his instinct was telling him that Laura was his Alpha, and she had _left him behind_.

They didn't talk about these things now, though. It was in the past, it was supposed to be forgotten, if not forgiven – because Derek would never forgive him, and, more importantly, _he_ would never forgive himself completely – and now they were all a big, happy pack.

Living in a town that attracted crazy like moths to a flame, only God knows why.

That was the reason why, when Derek came back from Bluebell telling about the small town that was _completely_ unclaimed, devoid of any creatures, he was completely onboard with his nephew's idea.

Let them begin again, from scratch, with no ghost house haunting them, no memories of killing and being killed, no local hunters to bother them and watch them at every waking hour.

Let them be free again.

In Bluebell.

**X**

So Stiles gets a job. He is keeping up with his grades alright at school, and the cash he is getting working as a receptionist for his uncle's practice is much welcome – he wants to buy a car.

Not that anyone actually _needed_ a car in Bluebell, but he misses being able to… drive. He likes driving, enjoys the freedom that comes with getting in and just driving around, pointlessly. Some of his best dates with Derek involved the Camaro, or the Jeep, and just driving.

It had been almost a month since Derek's visit, and he is a bit disappointed his boyfriend hadn't come back to Bluebell again – they talked everyday on the phone, of course, sometimes more than once, but it's not the same.

It's Christmas time and he is quite disappointed in his dad too. The man called, of course, but their daily talks had dimmed a bit, going to once every two days, and now he was lucky if they talked more than once a week. It's like his dad doesn't even miss him anymore, and it's kind of killing Stiles a little inside – but he'll live.

He thinks.

Anyway, Christmas Eve had been a bit of a depressing affair at the Breelands' household. Magnolia had gone to Orlando with friends, but Stiles had declined going with her, because, honestly, being _away_ from Bluebell, and yet not being able to _go home_, it'd have been worse than simply staying where he was, doing his time as a good little inmate in his dad's version of teen-prison.

On Christmas Day, he wakes up bright and early and cooks breakfast for his uncle and Lemon. His cousin comes in at about nine, looking a bit surprised at the amount of food on the table.

"Are we expecting anyone else?" she asks, helping him set the table without having to be asked.

"Not really. I just thought it'd be nice to have a family breakfast, seeing as Christmas Eve pretty much sucked" he explains in a cheerful voice, and Lemon snorts delicately.

"I wouldn't use those words, but, yes. It was an awful night" she says, and Stiles actually _looks_ at her, seeing she's paler than usual, and isn't even wearing any make up.

Uh oh.

"Something else happened last night?" he asks, trying not to pry, but he can't help it. She's family, and she looks miserable – he wants to help, and to help, he has to know what's going on.

Lemon looks undecided for a moment, before sighing and accepting the cup of coffee he hands her.

They sit in the sun room, letting Brick sleep a bit more before calling him down for breakfast. Lemon curls up on the couch, and Stiles sits by her, looking concerned.

"Lavon came to my house last night" she starts, taking a sip of her coffee, and looking down, blinking fast. Oh, God, she's going to cry, "I promised him I would help him convince Ruby to stay in Bluebell, to move back here, and instead, she ended up finding out we had an affair. She broke up with him and left, and now he hates me. He told me he would never forgive me for what I did" she sniffs a bit at the end, but doesn't really cry.

When he stares at her, Stiles can see her blue eyes full of tears, but not a single one of them falls.

"He's not right for you, Lemon" Stiles says softly, and she looks at him, a bit annoyed, clearly having heard that before as some sort of consolation prize, "No, hear me out, okay? I know we've known each other for barely three months, but you… Lavon is a great guy, there's no denying that, but he's… predictable. He's like George in that aspect, and I know you loved George, and that maybe you still love Lavon, but both of them kind of… pale when you are around. You take them over, you'll get bored. You need someone who'll challenge you, who'll keep you on your toes, unpredictable and yet stable. You don't need someone to take care of you – you need someone who can _keep up_ with you" he pauses for a bit, and Lemon actually looks as if she's considering what he's saying, "Look, I have this friend, her name is Lydia. She's a bit like you, and her boyfriend is… a jerk. He's my friend now, he's pack, so I can't exactly get rid of him, but the only way they are working is because all they went through before he became a proper werewolf. Because she actually kind of thought she had lost him, and I think that is what overrode the boredom she'd have felt eventually. And, of course, now he has so many extra powers and resources that she's not bored with him, otherwise, they wouldn't have lasted. And I don't want you to have to go through what _we_ went through so that Jackson and Lydia could make it, because you don't deserve that. You'll find someone amazing for you when you're ready, and Lavon will forgive you, because you are awesome, and no one can stay mad at you for long. You are _that_ amazing" he finishes, and Lemon shakes her head, a small smile playing in her lips, as she sighs fondly.

"Thank you" she answers, and Stiles goes out on a limb and hugs her close, because, well, why not? She's her cousin, damn it! "What _did_ happen to this friend of yours?" she asks eventually when they break apart, and Stiles looks a bit embarrassed.

"He kind of became a killing lizard, being controlled by a psychopath at my school? He's cool now, though."

Lemon stares at him, not really wanting to believe in what he's saying, but she lets it go.

Clearly she's decided the best way to deal with the whole Stiles-and-the-Supernatural thing is to ignore most of it, and pretend not to care about the rest.

Eventually they call Brick to the table, and they have a very quiet family breakfast. As they are putting the breakfast things away, the doorbell rings, and the three of them trade a look: they aren't expecting anyone. Magnolia isn't due till New Year's Eve, any patient of Brick's would have called him and not come here, and it's way too early for any social visits for Lemon.

Shrugging, Stiles goes to get the door, and when he opens it, his mouth falls open in shock.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he exclaims, and Lemon and his uncle come to the living room to see what the commotion is about.

"Well, well, Stiles, is that any way of treating your uncle-in-law? Not an 'I missed you so much, uncle Peter!' or 'Oh, I'm so glad to see you, uncle Peter!' or even better, 'I've been bored out of my mind without your quick wit and sass, uncle Peter!'"

"I've never in my life have called you Uncle Peter. _Derek_ doesn't call you Uncle Peter" Stiles answers, glaring at the man at the door, and Peter smirks broadly.

"That's because I'm way too youthful to have a man that size for a nephew" he answers, and Stiles shakes his head, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Do I have to?" he asks, and then Lemon decides to intervene.

"Manners, Stiles!" she chides, smiling broadly.

Oh, man. Okay, he wants Lemon to be happy, but no.

Just… no.

"Uncle, you say? Derek's? Certainly not! Someone so young!" she exclaims, and Stiles closes his eyes, opening the door a bit more, and moving out of the way.

"Come in", he whispers, knowing fully well Peter will listen to him with no problem whatsoever.

"Why, thank you, Stiles. But before…" the man says, smiling again and stepping away from the door, showing the street behind him.

The street where _his very own Jeep_ is waiting for him.

With Isaac in front of it.

"Oh my God!" he shouts, almost cringing when he realizes how much he sounds like Magnolia right now, but he doesn't care.

When he gets to the street, Isaac opens his arms and Stiles throws himself at him, not caring about his weight. Isaac can take it.

"What are you doing here?!" he asks when they pull away (and Isaac sets him down. He's not very willing to admit that Isaac can actually _pick him up_).

"Well, I think Peter wants to talk to you and your uncle first, so you'll have to wait. But this is yours" he says, offering him the keys.

"Oh, baby, I missed you _so much_!" Stiles shouts, hugging as much of his Jeep as he can reach. Isaac smiles behind him.

"Stiles, come on. I need to talk to your lovely family" Peter calls out, and Stiles narrow his eyes at him, walking away from the Jeep and towards the house.

"You stay away from my cousin, Peter, I mean it" he says, glaring, and Peter smirks at him.

"Isn't he just _adorable_?" he asks Lemon, ignoring Brick, who's glaring at Peter too, "Like an angry kitten! The day Derek told us he had chosen Stiles as his mate I could have wept for joy" Peter finishes, following Lemon into the house.

She laughs at his comment, a light sound, lighter than Stiles has heard in the three months he's been here.

Oh, man, why? Why Peter, why?

"Peter, this is my uncle, Brick Breeland. Uncle Brick, this is Derek's uncle, Peter Hale. Please don't judge Derek according to this man, they are nothing alike" Stiles says.

Peter and his uncle shake hands, and Peter looks at him, scowling playfully.

"I should hope not. Derek has none of my finesse and good taste."

Stiles rolls his eyes at Isaac, and the blond smiles at him.

"This is Isaac. He's Derek's first werewolf, and my friend."

Isaac timidly offers his hand to Brick, who shakes it dubiously.

"It's very nice to meet Derek's family, but why _are_ you here?" he offers them seats with a gesture, and both werewolves sit down, the Breelands and Stiles doing the same.

"Derek told me you are well aware of his condition as a werewolf. He also told me you know he's an Alpha Werewolf, which means he's responsible for our pack, and he's been doing a great job so far, considering our… _special_ circumstances. The thing is Beacon Hills is a very difficult place for any supernatural being. I don't know how much of it Stiles has told you, but living there is a bit of a nightmare – too many creatures fighting for that area, only god knows why, I'd rather live somewhere else, but our family had been living there for generations. Before the fire, our family could afford to live there – we had strength in numbers. Now, we do not. Which is, ultimately, what resulted in Stiles being here: it's so much chaos, so much mayhem, so many problems, that he's been hurt more than once, and this only ever tends to get worse and worse in his position as Derek's second in command and his mate" he takes a moment to look at Lemon and Brick, letting them take it all in before continuing, "However, we are not attached to that land. If I may say so, I and Derek would rather leave all that comes with that land behind us. We never thought of moving because, unlike what most humans might think, most territories nowadays are already claimed by some supernatural creature or another, with more powerful units than our small and quaint pack" another pause, and Stiles can barely breathe. Is Peter saying what he thinks he's saying? "When Derek came here three months ago, he realized something: Bluebell is unclaimed territory. There's not a single creature here, it's like… a fresh start. Here, we can rebuild our strength, keep the peace in the territory, and start over. Of course, nothing is as simple as it sounds, seeing as most of our pack is made up of teenagers still in school, but none of them has what you'd call ideal families, and in this last year _we_ became family. They don't mind moving after graduation, some of them even before then, so that our pack can have what all of us deserve: peace. Quiet. A healthy environment for us to _be_ a pack" he pauses again, looking at Lemon and Brick seriously now, and Stiles gets at this moment why Peter is always the one sent to do the ambassador thing for them – he's _good_ at this talking stuff. Really good. He should start practicing Law again, "But, of course, ultimately, this is about Derek and Stiles. And we dare not try and reason with the Sheriff, because that man is all _kinds_ of unreasonable – and don't even try and deny it, Stiles, you got sent to _Bluebell_, for crying out loud", Peter says even before Stiles can _think_ of opening his mouth, "so this leaves you two as the adults responsible for the mate of our Alpha. Do _you_ give us permission to reestablish our pack here?"

There's silence in the house for a while, because whatever it was that the Breelands had been expecting by this surprising visitor, it had certainly not been _this_.

Stiles himself had not been expecting this.

"What does any of this _mean_?" Brick ends up asking, confusion written all over his face, "We do not have to grant permission for you to do anything!" he continues.

Peter thinks for a moment, before answering, while Isaac and Stiles trade a look – thing is that as much as they look just like humans most of the time, werewolves _aren't_ human. There are a whole lot of rules and etiquette that must be followed for things to work out properly – their lack of attention to these protocols and such was what attracted the attention of the Alpha Pack to them. They weren't about to make the same mistake twice, and they would obey every single rule in the book if it meant their pack was safe.

"It means that, as this land is not claimed, we have to defer to someone who can answer _for_ the land. As your family has a vested interest in this matter, as your lives are the ones that will actually _change_ somewhat if we do move here, you have a right, as humans, to deny us access. Ultimately, we could challenge you back and fight in some sort of competition for the land, but in this case, what's going to happen is just that we won't move at all, because my family _will not_ be challenged" Stiles answers, before Peter can say anything, and, according to their positions in the pack, he can.

He's Derek's mate for all the matters that count, and that makes him second in any hierarchy they have, even if he's the human.

"Exactly" Peter confirms, "We would go to the Mayor – and we will, so that we can actually see where we can build our house, or buy an existing one – but first, we must know if you allow us to move. Having a pack of werewolves like ours in a town this size can be quite beneficial, financially, mostly, because the Hale pack is well off, but there will be downfalls, and you will have to live with whatever choice you make. The good _and_ the bad."

"What happens if we say no?" Lemon asks calculatingly.

"We do not move" Peter answers, shrugging a bit, "We'll probably continue in Beacon Hills this year, try to move away in the next, because now that this possibility for peace has been shown to us, I don't think any of us will want to stay there. Eventually, Stiles will leave you, because, even if you have been wonderful to him for three months, even a year, Scott has been there for him his whole life. Derek has put his life on the line for him every single time it was needed. Lydia thrives by his side, and Jackson needs someone who can take him down a peg or two without violence involved, and Erica and Boyd need him to feel safe. Isaac needs him to know that his past is not his fault. _I_ need him to keep me grounded. His pack, his _family_ will always need him – what he and Derek have is not simply an affair, a dating trend, something that will go away soon enough. We _need_ Stiles, because he's a part of us in a way that the Sheriff seems to misunderstand. We need him just like we need Derek, and Scott, and all the others. If it comes down to it…" he pauses and stares at Stiles, waiting for him to finish.

"If it comes down to it, my pack will always come first" he ends up saying firmly, even if with some regret, because it's the truth, and this is not the moment to measure his words. Everything has to be laid out before any decision is made.

"What if we say yes, then?" Brick asks, and Peter, Isaac and Stiles look at one another before Peter answers.

"Then _you_ become pack. And _you_ will always come first too."

**X**

Brick was Sarah's older brother. He took care of her when she was little, and he threatened to kill a man or two when she started dating, and he had been the one to support her decision of going so far away for college because that was what she wanted.

She went to Stanford, and she met John Stilinski, and they got married as soon as she graduated. John was two years older than her, and he was, all in all, a good man. He _adored_ Sarah in a way that brick found endearing, and she had clearly become his whole world. The first time he had come to visit, he had told them that he didn't have his parents anymore, they had passed away a few years ago, and Sarah was _everything_ to him.

They settled in his home town, and would visit a few times a year, before Stiles was born. The visits became less frequent when the baby arrived, and Brick had to admit that when his wife left him he lost a bit of the will to _be_ with John and Sarah and their son. They were so _perfect_. They had a home, an adorable boy, and they loved each other so much his heart _ached_ being near them. Why couldn't _he_ have that?

Why had his wife left him?

Why couldn't she love him as John so clearly loved his sister?

Ultimately, they grew more and more distant, and he lived for his girls and his practice.

Then came the news about Sarah's cancer, and Stiles being diagnosed with ADHD, and he had felt so _guilty_ he didn't have to courage to go and visit them anymore, because he had spent so long being jealous of what they had he felt as if it was his very own fault that now that family had fallen apart.

Looking back, he realized the error of his ways, but none of them was bigger than the mistake he had made with Stiles.

The boy had lost his mother and, apparently, his father too. John adored the boy, clearly, but what had he been doing that had made them grow so further apart? What had happened that Stiles felt closer to a _pack of werewolves_ (and what is his _life_, as Stiles says, that a sentence like that is not even a joke?) than to his own family. What had driven Stiles to be involved in any of this, anyway? The boy had told them about Scott being bitten, and he told them about the guilt he felt for it, but what had come first, he and a friend _looking for a body in the woods_, what was that if not a desperate cry for help? A desperate need for attention of his only parental figure, a desire to be closer to the Sheriff, seeing as he didn't seem to be able to be close to his own _father_.

And now this situation in all and any aspect: shipping the boy off without knowing what Derek and his pack meant for him, without caring what it had been doing to Stiles. How much it hurt him to be away from his family, the one he had _chosen_ to be a part of, the one he had helped to build.

It was cruel and irrational, and clearly John thought he was doing the best thing he possibly could, but he wasn't.

He wasn't, and Brick had already been way too absent in his nephew's life to let his father's misgivings hurt the boy even more.

And that's why Brick said yes.

They could come to Bluebell.

He would see to a meeting with Mayor Lavon himself.

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**REVIEW!**


	6. A House & A Home

**Hey, there! Finally, I'm back to civilization.**

**Never again will I say yes to a holiday in a place without a good and stable internet connection. Never-again.**

**I'm really sorry if I didn't answer some of the comments or reviews – I thank you a LOT for them, they mean the world to me.**

**Now, on with the chapter – the next one will be the last, and will be up tomorrow.**

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**Wolf of Dixie**

**A House & A Home**

"So, what kind of house _are_ we looking for?" Lemon asks, all excitement and energy.

It's three days after Christmas, and Isaac and Peter are staying at the only Inn in town, while they search for houses or just the land to build on. They talked to Lavon – sans Lemon of course – and he's agreed to help them find all the land and proprieties that were for sale in the area. So, that's what they are doing now, preparing to go out and find the Hale Pack a new home.

"That really is Stiles's call, as it'll be his house more than any other's. Of course we'll be staying there, and if Derek wants to follow his father's tradition, most of the family will live in the house, or at least nearby. The ones with… _interests_ usually move out of the house, of course" he says, smirking at Lemon, and making her blush, "But as Stiles is the Alpha's mate, and Derek is not here, it's his call all the same."

"I think I want a new house" Stiles says from his place beside Lemon, "We should look for land near the woods, maybe something near the lake; I think that'd be nice. I don't want to live in a house with _history_ behind it. If we're doing this _we're having a new start _thing, then we should go all the way."

Peter hums in agreement, but he's so not paying attention to Stiles.

He's paying attention to Stiles's cousin.

Stiles sighs, and tries to get used to the idea that Peter will hit on Lemon, and they'll probably date, and, honestly? They'll probably be good for each other. Peter has quick wit, he is scarily intelligent and just a tiny bit crazy (not the psycho kind of crazy, the nice kind of crazy. The kind of crazy he used to be before the fire, as Derek has told him). Lemon would be happier with someone like him than with any other kind of person – she certainly would be happier with him than with Lavon or George.

Derek is going to _flip_.

**X**

They find land near Lavon's place. Opposite the Mayor's house, actually. The woods behind it, facing the lake, with enough land that they won't have any kind of problem during the full moon, away enough from the town proper that they won't have any kind of problems with territory, but close enough that it won't be weird for them to live there all by themselves.

And they will.

Stiles knows they will.

Peter sets about seeing to the acquiring of the land with Lemon's help, and Stiles drives him and Isaac home, pointing out small details in town, just driving around for a bit.

"So, what's the plan, now?" Stiles asks.

Isaac sighs.

"Well, I and Peter are officially moving here now. We're going to get an apartment or something, and I'm going to transfer schools as soon as the year begins. Scott and Melissa are next – Scott wants to come now, but Melissa wants to find a job first."

"Uncle Brick can help her with that, he _is_ a doctor after all" Stiles comments, and Isaac nods.

"Lydia and Jackson have already started looking into schools near here, to commute. They'd leave and live in dorms, but Jackson's been a bit unstable these past few months. We think it must have something to do with you coming here, and him losing someone way too close to him."

"He didn't _lose_ me! I call him! We text!"

"Yeah, _we_ know that, but you know how Jackson gets" Isaac comments, and Stiles sighs deeply.

Yeah, he knows.

Jackson gets all weird and awkward form time to time, and he starts to rethink everything in his life. He starts to think he's not good enough to be pack, or that Lydia doesn't deserve to have to live with someone like him, he starts to think his parents don't _love_ him, but only _pity_ him instead. He starts to think Derek can't stand him, and that Peter despises him, that Erica's jokes are actually how she feels, and that Boyd thinks he's not good enough to be pack. He starts to think Allison and Scott blame him for what he did as the Kanima.

And that's when he needs Stiles to come to his rescue, and smack some sense into him, and make him _see_ he's pack.

In a way, it's almost like Stiles is his actual parent. He's lived enough in a pack to know that they actually need _each other_, all of them, but Jackson needs the stability that comes with a pack more than most of the others.

"What about Allison?"

That's the tricky part. Jackson and Lydia can come and live in Bluebell, because they have the excuse of being together, and wanting to go away. Their parents are kind of _expecting_ them to leave the moment they graduate. Erica and Boyd are the same, Erica has actually gotten in so many fights with her mother that she practically lives with Derek, and when she can, with Boyd.

Derek, of course, can do whatever he pleases, and if Melissa is on board with their moving plan, Scott is golden.

Allison, however, is a whole other can of worms.

"She told her father the pack is leaving" Isaac starts, and Stiles cringes.

"In that wording, exactly?" he asks.

"Yeah" Isaac agrees.

"Oh, man."

"Pretty much, yeah. When she _clarified_ that _the pack_ included her, he kind of flipped, but he can't do anything about it. She's eighteen, she can do whatever she wants with her life, and he knows it. I didn't get all the details, but he kind of threatened not to help her, you know, financially, and Derek backed her up, telling he'll pay for her schooling. She refused to tell her dad where we're moving to, and told him that if he looked, she'd never talk to him again, and after the whole thing with the Fae…" Isaac trails off, and stops talking.

The thing with the Fae had been _bad_.

They lived in the middle of the woods in Beacon Hills, and there was no reason whatsoever for them to get involved in Pack business. Or there hadn't been until the Hunters started to come all over the woods because of the mess Gerard had created with the Kanima, and they had traipsed right into the Fae territory, angering the creatures so much they had decided to attack back – the problem is they didn't catch the hunters in their attacks, they'd only caught the pack.

They had managed to negotiate with the Pack easily enough, Peter had been their ambassador, and Derek managed not to screw anything up, and they were pretty much done, when Chris decided that he needed to _eliminate the threat_, and came after them, attacking the Fae – or at least _trying_.

Their magic was strong enough that it made no difference, but the creatures didn't trust the pack anymore, especially as it had been one of them who had led the hunter into the Fae domain, and when she looked for it, Allison realized her dad was using a tracker in her phone again.

He had almost gotten all of them killed, and for absolutely nothing, as the Fae were all in all peaceful. They could have had an ally in the woods, and Chris had screwed that up for them _badly_, putting their lives in danger because of simple paranoia.

From that day on, Allison made it clear she didn't trust Chris with anything anymore. She was pack first and an Argent later, and she would never, _ever_ follow her dad's footsteps. When the mess her dad created was solved to the best of their abilities, that's when Derek finally realized that she was truly _with_ them. She was Scott's mate, and Derek had come to accept that.

Of course there had been a bit of a grudge from Derek in the beginning, but things were okay after that.

If she didn't want her dad knowing where she was going to live, well, things were bad between them.

"I wish there was another way with those two" Stiles whispered, frowning at the road, and Isaac sighed at him.

"Chris has been a hunter for way too long to change his life now."

"It's a bit sad he won't even do it for his _daughter_" Stiles bites back when they get to the Breelands house.

"He did help his own wife kill herself."

They stay in silence after that, contemplating just how completely fucked up most of their families are.

Well, who is Stiles deceiving, _most_? He's in freaking Bluebells because of his dad, damn it! They are all screwed. The only sane adult in this whole business is Melissa. And even that may be a bit biased, because she accepted the whole thing with Scott so quickly it was scary.

All in all they are a pretty screwed up bunch. But truth be told, Stiles couldn't even imagine his life without a single one of his weird and misfit friends. He loves them like family, like they _belong_ together.

They are pack.

That's pretty much all that matters, right?

**X**

It takes Peter three days to find land, and one single day in a town called _Mobile_ to find a decent architect to make plans for their house.

Their house.

The one Stiles is, on that very moment, working on making exactly what _they_ want. Every so often he receives a few texts with the most inane and insane question, such as _How many bathrooms, because I'm not sharing_, and _how do we do the bedroom count? One for each and then one to spare?_ Things they had been planning for their future – a future together, that wasn't threatened at every turn, that wasn't an amorphous thought or concept of "future" anymore.

It's coming.

They are building a house together, and their pack is moving across the country to be with them, and most of the teens who are actually pack have no idea what they would do with their lives in the future, but what they do know is that they are going to be together.

Somehow, after all they've been through, that is kind of all that matters.

He and Melissa had talked, and Stiles promised to talk to his uncle and help her find a job. She refuses to live _in_ the house with them, but he had _been_ to Bluebell, and he knew that anything inside the town would be close enough that the pack would always be together.

Lydia and Jackson had already decided they were moving in with Derek and Stiles – so would Isaac and Peter, and Erica and Boyd; at least for the first few months. Derek had seen the pictures and a few drafts of plans, and he knows there is space enough around the main house that all the couples can build houses around theirs, and live there calmly.

There would be a big _Hale Pack_ once again. His spirit is in peace for the first time in almost a _decade_ because… because he has a family again. Something to hope for, and wait for, and fight for, and just _have_. And whether he likes it or not, it is all because of Stiles and his stubbornness.

If it wasn't for Stiles, Derek wouldn't have Scott in his pack, or Melissa. Jackson wouldn't have someone to run to without feeling threatened, and Lydia wouldn't have someone to challenge her from time to time. Allison wouldn't have someone to emphasize with the death of her mother, Erica and Boyd would never have returned to him, because he would have never sought them out again.

He would have never given in, and admitted that he had no idea what he had been doing back then, and that their escape was understandable, because they were young and afraid.

_He_ wouldn't be the person he was now if it wasn't for Stiles.

He looks around the barely remodeled house – the house he had grown up in, and lost his whole family in, the ghost house, with every single wrong decision haunting from their past. It'll all be gone in a few months. He is moving to Bluebell the _second_ Stiles turns eighteen.

Derek isn't sure how they'll deal with the Sheriff situation yet. Sometimes he thinks the man actually regrets what he has done, shipping Stiles so far away, but then Stiles and he will talk, and his mate will mention he hasn't spoken to his dad in days, and that he only ever actually _knows_ what is going on in his dad's life through Melissa, and Derek actually feels _anger_ – not even for his situation right now, for all that the Sheriff wants to break them apart he has brought them closer and offered them a solution for most of their problems without meaning to – but on _Stiles's behalf_.

What is the man _doing_?

He is putting a few t-shirts away when he hears a cruiser coming up on the road, and he sighs – he knows the sound of that car, and the car belongs to the Sheriff.

He puts the rest of his clothes on the bed and then goes to the front door. Peter and Isaac are in Bluebell, the new term has already begun and Isaac is attending the same school as Stiles. Erica and Boyd are at school too, so the Sheriff knows he is all alone.

Fine, he can play this game.

He gets out, and closes the door behind him, standing on the porch, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Sheriff" Derek greets neutrally, and the man gets out of his car and frowns at Derek.

"Mr. Hale," he starts, taking a few steps around the car, but still away from Derek, "I had a most interesting conversation with Chris Argent today."

The moment the Sheriff's words are out of his mouth Derek freezes for half a second and then he bares his teeth, his eyes flashing red.

"No need to be so riled up" John tries to placate, leaning on the cruiser and crossing his arms just like Derek, "I didn't tell him anything, because for all that Stiles _lied_ to me, the part where he was beaten up by that man's father, and how he helped his _wife_ kill herself didn't escape my notice. I don't want any of you dead, Derek."

"What _do_ you want, then?" Derek growls out. He sure as hell doesn't want to have to make the Sheriff their enemy, but by the Gods, if the man doesn't stop threatening his pack he will.

"I came here because Melissa told me it was the best I could do to make all of you… _safe_."

Derek doesn't answer, he just keeps on glaring, and the Sheriff sighs, running a hand over his face before talking again.

"Argent came to me to ask me where I had sent Stiles. He wanted to know where he'd gone, because he was under the impression his daughter would be going there too as soon as she graduates – possibly sooner. I've been talking to a few other parents, and they all seem to be under the impression that their kids are moving" John stops talking and fixes Derek in a hard stare "What are you doing, Hale?"

"I'm keeping my pack together, Sheriff. What are _you_ doing?" he bites back, when he sees the man practically seething in anger.

"I am trying to keep my son _safe_!"

"And you did an amazing job!" Derek answers, anger evident in his words, "I went there. I saw what it's like, and, yes, we _are_ moving to be with Stiles. Bluebell is going to be our new home, and there's nothing you can do to stop it." His voice is calm and even as he walks towards the Sheriff, who gets off his car and shakes his head.

"Yes, there is. I will call Brick _right now_-"

"And he'll tell you we have _his_ permission. The best thing you _ever_ did for your son in these past seven years was send him there, and you know why? Because Brick has been a better father for him in these three months than you have been for almost a decade."

John looks as if he had been slapped.

"Oh, but I bet he didn't-"

"Didn't what? Know what we are? He does. Knows our history? He knows that too! But you want to find out what he _also_ knows? He knows what Stiles means to us, and what we mean to him. We're moving there because there Stiles has _family_ that supports him, and doesn't try to overrule his decisions. They listen to him. They understand what he's going through."

"My son almost died because of you!" John shouts then, pointing a finger at Derek.

"No! Stiles almost died because he has no sense of self-preservation! He sees someone in trouble, and if he cares about them, there's no stopping him! He doesn't think his life is worth the same as all the other's! Or do you think it's normal for a sixteen years old boy go on looking for bodies in the woods? Or accept that his best friend is a werewolf, and then proceed to put himself in danger for someone much more resourceful and powerful than him? Do you think that if you had been around enough he'd be _that_ willing to put himself at risk?"

"Don't you DARE accuse me of not being there for Stiles!" the man shouts, forgetting Derek is a werewolf and could snap him in half if he wanted to, and pushing Derek back.

Derek doesn't even move.

"You weren't" the werewolf answers, "Not when it mattered. Not when he really needed. Sure, you showed up at a game or two, and you _love_ him, I know you do, you'd have to be blind not to see it, but when was it that you gave him a chance to be _himself_ around you? When were you there in those small moments he needed you? Where were you these past three Christmases? Or Thanksgiving? Or his birthday? Working? Why, because Beacon Hills doesn't have anyone _else_ but you, never? Not even once? He's never complained about these things, you know, he's never said a word, but his eyes when he showed up at this house, alone on his birthday because Scott was with Allison, or on Christmas when all the others were with their families, or when Isaac found him alone, eating a turkey burger on Thanksgiving? You made him think you didn't _want_ to be there. Because you weren't. He thinks of himself as a burden to you, he feels guilty for his mother's death." The Sheriff actually takes a step back when Derek says that.

"I've never-" he starts, but Derek interrupts him.

"_I _know you'd never blame him for anything of the sort, but when was it that _you_ said that to him? When did you reassure him that you didn't blame him?"

"Sarah had _cancer. _I never thought he'd blame himself" John whispers brokenly, and Derek shakes his head.

"And yet, we all know it. He never told us, but we do. Because we are family, and we have been there for him. He felt so guilty about lying to you,and when he finally comes clean to you about his lies you send him away" Derek stops talking, his voice trembling in anger, because it _kills_ him that Stiles believes all of that, "Now how does that looks to you? What if it were you in his position?"

John doesn't answer. He looks down, and suddenly he looks twenty years older – Derek knows none of this is any news to the man, but he probably never actually _thought_ about any of it. He ignored it and wished for it to go away.

"What can I do?" he ends up asking, and Derek shrugs.

"You can start by understanding where _he_ is coming from, and not what _you_ want him to be. It would be a good start, I think. But I'm no good at this sort of thing, Stiles is. That's why we work" Derek says, and John stares at him for a long moment before turning his back on the werewolf and getting into his car.

He has a whole lot of thinking to do.

* * *

**Let me know what you think!**

**REVIEW!**


	7. Family

**Wolf of Dixie**

**Family**

On the day Stiles turns eighteen, Derek moves to Bluebell. He rents an apartment next to the one where Peter and Isaac have been staying in, and Stiles pretty much moves in with him.

It is, actually, the talk of the town. The boy who got sent away from home for trouble making is now living with his much older boyfriend. It's quite the scandal in Bluebell. Derek becomes sort of a local celebrity, and considering how much he likes people in general, the whole thing is pretty entertaining.

Jackson and Lydia wait for the end of the school year and then move too. Jackson decides not to go to college – he had had dreams and hopes for his future in something of another life, but now he doesn't want any of that anymore. He doesn't want to be so worried about money and status that he doesn't have time for his family. He opens a Sports Store in Bluebell – the first one, actually – and invests some of his trust fund money, so that he won't starve in case things go wrong.

Of course things don't go wrong. He's got talent for business.

Lydia does get into about six different schools, and she chooses MIT. The plan is that she'll come to Bluebell every other weekend, and Jackson will fly out to meet her in the ones she doesn't. During the Summer, though, they bunk up with Stiles and Derek. It's quite strange that, given their history, as couple, the four of them are the ones who get along the best.

Melissa finds a job helping Brick and, well, as embarrassing as it is, she kind of gets together with him. As summer starts they announce they are in a serious relationship, and now Scott and Scott are kind of cousins or some other crazy relation. It's great for Melissa, and great for Brick, and amazing for Scott and Stiles, and pretty good for Magnolia too.

Magnolia who, by the way, gives up the jerk she'd been chasing when Stiles moved there and is in a serious relationship with Isaac. They are sickeningly cute in a way not even Allison and Scott had managed to be when they first got together.

Erica and Boyd stay with Derek the first few weeks, and then, when Jackson and Lydia come to stay with them, the Alpha rents them an apartment. They go to college in University of South Alabama, in Mobile, where Boyd plans to major in History and become a teacher, as Erica studies Biology to teach too.

Allison is the last one to come because she wants to be sure her father won't follow them. They have a fight, and, in the end, he promises her he won't follow, if she promises him she'll keep in touch. Both of them do as the other asks, and she finally leaves Beacon Hills behind. At first, she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She doesn't want to go to college, and she doesn't want to depend on anyone else to live, and she's kind of a wreck for a few weeks.

Then Derek buys a bit more land, away from the house they are building, and builds her a shooting range. She starts with just a few students, but as word gets out that an amazing instructor lives in Bluebell, people start to come to train with her. They know Chris will hear of it eventually, and put things together, but they aren't worried. For once they trust his love for his daughter will stop him from doing something stupid.

Peter and Lemon actually do get together. He opens a small office in town – the only opposition George Tucker has, actually – and Lemon's popularity in town makes it flourish quite fast.

Things are good, in a way. The last week of Summer, the house is finally ready, and the furniture has been bought. Most of the things are already in place and the official move in is in the very next morning. Stiles is attending college in Mobile come fall, and they want to have everything ready before classes start. Things are good.

The only thing that isn't good is John's absence.

Ever since his talk to Derek in front of the Hale house he has become more distant than ever. He calls, of course, and he tries to talk to Stiles, but it seems as if the fact that they are now aware of the problems in their relationship as father and son, they don't know how to behave without letting them come in between them. Stiles tries to keep busy enough that he won't think about it, but Derek knows he's worrying about his dad nonstop.

There's no one else there. Not a single person in that town in whom Stiles trusts to keep his dad healthy or safe. No one to be there for him when he comes home from a difficult shift, and by God, there are a whole _lot_ of those. And there will be a whole lot _more_, because with the Hale Pack gone there's no one to defend the place.

Stiles sometimes feels as if he's failing his dad. But then Derek will come and kiss him; or Jackson will walk by, showing him something; or Scott will smile, and he'll remember that these people need him too. They need him, and he's not running away on them, he won't fail them as he failed his dad, or his dad failed him. He won't leave, or pretend there's nothing wrong.

He's pack.

He's family.

But it breaks his heart to leave his dad behind.

The house they bad built is everything Stiles has ever wanted in a house. Three story high, white with blue windows and a red front door. Every couple in the pack has a room, and then there are two other spare rooms – Stiles had thought about one room to spare, but Derek insisted on two. The place is spacious and airy, bright with sunlight and, well, love.

It's weird, in a way. Stiles used to think about houses and peace and love for the _future_. He never quite imagined that things would be _here, now_, in the present. He's never thought he could actually _have_ all that he dreamed of when he started dating Derek, and yet, here they are.

The pack has a house, Peter is happy, Isaac is happy, Boyd and Erica and Jackson and Lydia and even doomy and gloomy Derek are _happy_.

He wants to be happy too, but the shadow of his dad's absence is kind of putting a bit of a damper on things.

"Hey" Derek greets from behind him, coming from the bedroom, where he was packing away the last bit of clothing they had in the apartment.

"Hey. Everything's ready?" he asks, more to try and distract his boyfriend than anything else.

"What's wrong?" the Alpha asks in return, frowning.

Stiles shrugs a bit, not knowing how to explain it. He doesn't want to upset Derek, and he really, really doesn't want to talk about it. It's different, for the others. Melissa has come with Scott, Chris had been a sore point for Allison ever since he told her what really happened on the night her mother died, Jackson's, Lydia's and Boyd's parents were really absent, and Erica's mother was in no line for winning any awards for best parenting either.

But he and his dad had had a relationship once. Or at least he had thought so, but then Brick started talking to him, and, well, he felt so _bad_ for blaming his dad for a whole lot of things that now he blamed him for. His absence, his not dealing with Stiles's mom's death, the way he was either way too permissive or he was trying to be in absolute charge of Stiles's life. He didn't want to think about his dad in any other way than perfect.

It was easier for him to be the screw-up son than to have a dad who made mistakes.

And he wasn't sure on how to deal with any of that, especially seeing as his dad's last call had been a good ten days ago, and the man hadn't been answering his phone either, talking to Stiles through a few texts.

Derek apparently decides to let it go, and they put the last of the boxes away in the trunk of his car, driving towards their new home. The others are there already, just waiting for them, so they'll be officially moved in. Stiles tries (and fails) to leave his thoughts about his dad behind.

When their car gets to the house, though, it's impossible to forget about Sheriff John Stilinski.

Because he's right there, between Lemon and Brick.

"What…" Stiles starts and looks at Derek, who is, of course, trying not to smile.

"Just… get out of the car" the man says, and Stiles does get out, walking towards his dad with his mouth open in shock.

"Surprise?" the Sheriff says, half exclaiming, half asking and Stiles just stands there for a moment, trying to understand what's going on.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asks, because he's not sure what to think.

"Moving?" his dad answers, the same questioning tone in his voice again, "Someone told me a few months ago that I should start seeing you for you, and not for what I wanted you to be" the man says, looking as if he's trying very hard not to cry, he swallows hard before continuing, "And someone else pointed out that I wasn't exactly being the best father I could be for you. I know we have our differences, and I know you have become a man without me by your side. You have a family, and a place in it that I could never hope to take away from you, but I don't want us to be two strangers who just happen to share some DNA. I want our relationship to work, Stiles." He stares at his son a bit helplessly, and Stiles doesn't say anything.

He isn't sure he can.

"Is it too late?" his father asks, and that makes Stiles move, half running towards his dad and hugging him close, making both of them stumble a bit.

"It's never too late, dad" he whispers back, knowing full well all the wolves around them can hear.

It's not perfect by a long shot.

The old Sheriff from Bluebell is retiring, and John gets his job simply because the Breelands support him – and along with them, Lavon too.

Lavon forgives Lemon, eventually, but she's too happy with Peter to actually care about it. They become good friends, but that's it.

Things are calm in Bluebell. They don't have to worry about monsters attacking their land, or hunters hunting them down. Slowly, they let go of the fear and apprehension that has followed them for years, and they learn to _live_. Just… that. Day by day problems, small headaches, like someone used the last of the milk and didn't buy anymore, or all the humans in the pack get a nasty flu at the same time, or someone is rude to Stiles or Derek because they are small headed people, but all in all, it's pretty good.

There are a few major problems, of course. Like the time Wade got mauled by a bear in a hunting trip, and would have died for sure, but then Brick stepped in and asked Derek to bite him.

The pack grows bigger, and now Zoe Hart is a part of it, and Lemon _hates_ it.

They make it work, though. Through thick and thin, the small fights and the big worries, through weddings, and first kids, and all the problems that come with being such a big group of people basically living together – they make it work.

Because that's what family does.

And they sure are family in all the ways that count.

* * *

**And it's the end!**

**Thank you so much to all of you who stuck through the story! I'll post a few oneshots in this universe, because there are a few things I want to write about, but wouldn't have a place in this story, so stay tuned for a few more pieces on it!**

**Thank you again, and let me know what you think!**

**REVIEW!**


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